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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22778140">Stepping A Cat's Tail</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaferNajar23/pseuds/MaferNajar23'>MaferNajar23</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bullying, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Non-Graphic Violence, Protective Team, Protective senpai, Rated T for violence and f word, Sad Haiba Lev, Swearing, Team as Family, but everything is fine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:20:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22778140</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaferNajar23/pseuds/MaferNajar23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Words and whispers have never actually bother Lev. He likes the attention because as Nekoma's ace, he thinks he should be recognized. </p><p>And he's used to harsh words thanks to Yaku's receive training, so those don't really bother him either.</p><p>This doesn't mean that hurtful words will go away. Or that there will be no more pushes on the corridors. But if you step on a cats tail, then the cat will bite.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>187</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Built Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Based on the fanfiction "Don't Mess with Yaku Morisuke" and "Meteor Shower" by elegant_tree, both posted on AO3. Credits to the author.</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>To reach the highest point, there must be a good built-up.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: It has a bit of harassing, very very light, but be careful if you are easily triggered, I guess.</p><p>Also, this is my first fic ever so I really hope you enjoy it. </p><p>Please, please review! That will help a lot</p><p>Thanks for reading this &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Whispers and squeaks were something Lev was very, very used to, and it didn't bother him at all.</p><p>On the contrary, it made him really happy since it meant people were aware of him, and of course, they should be aware!  He was Nekoma's ace, after all. And it was an ace's job to stand out.</p><p>His Russian heritage, his height and his hair made him even more noticeable, and Lev couldn't be more than happy about it.</p><p>Even Alisa's presence was like a lantern among the crowd. She was an eye-candy; even short, angry Yaku-san admitted it out loud every time she came by. And Yaku-san almost never praised the younger Haiba, which made it even better.</p><p>So, of course, Lev was proud!</p><p>But even if he didn't mind the whispers and received the attention with open arms, it didn't mean the hurtful words went away.</p><p>"Hey, giraffe" a voice called from below.</p><p>Lev jumped a little due to the sudden call but saw no one when he looked around. Could it have been a ghost? That wasn't good; Lev was terrible with ghosts. Maybe Yaku-san could help him deal with the spirit...</p><p>"Down here, retard" the voice called again, in an angry tone.</p><p>Lev knew angry because it was present in Yaku's voice every day during practice. And sometimes, after a very tiresome day, in Kenma's.</p><p>Lev looked down and saw where the voice was coming from.</p><p>The guy who had spoken to him was one with a very stern-looking face, in class 2. Lev had never directly spoken to him but had heard some nasty rumours about his personality and behaviour towards the teachers and classmates.</p><p>His face reminded Lev of one of those famous paintings from that weird Spanish artist. Was it Ricasso? Or Lucasso? Or maybe, Pirosso?</p><p>He couldn't remember the name, but Shibayama had talked a lot about him after a few art classes taken during the year.  What Lev did remember were the strange shapes and figures the paintings had, and the guy talking to him reminded him of those. He should probably mention it to Shibayama since he loved art much.</p><p>Oh, wait.</p><p>The guy was talking to him.</p><p>"Uhm, sorry, what?" Lev asked a little lost.</p><p>The Murasso-looking guy looked at him with anger.</p><p>"What, you don't even understand Japanese?  Or are you just that stupid? Need some oxygen up there, skyscraper?" he spat, angry</p><p>Lev blinked a few seconds, surprised.</p><p>"No, don't worry. I have enough oxygen" Lev answered with a smile.</p><p>The guy frowned, apparently upset.</p><p>"Then you must be an idiot, then. You keep staring at me with a stupid ass look on your face"</p><p>Lev didn't know what to answer at that</p><p>"Just fucking move and stay out of the way, freak" Licasso-guy angrily snarled, and then proceeded to push Lev out of the way.</p><p>And the young player didn't notice at first, but the guy had been accompanied by a few other guys, first years Lev never had talked to.</p><p>"Stupid weirdo"</p><p>"Damn half bastard"</p><p>"Fucking retard"</p><p>Were a few of the things Lev managed to hear.</p><p>It had been at that moment Inuoka and Shibayama had decided to appear right around the corner, seemingly looking for Lev. They managed to catch a glimpse of the whole exchange, and by the moment they were at Lev's side, Pilusso-guy was already out of sight.</p><p>"Are you okay, Lev?" Inuoka asked, worried for his friend.</p><p>Lev just shrugged, paying no mind to the recent events.</p><p>"Yeah, don't worry. He looks like one of those Pinosso's paintings, right, Shibayama?" Lev asked, glad to finally voice his thoughts to the right person.</p><p>Shibayama snorted.</p><p>"It's called Picasso, Haiba-kun" he laughed "At least you remembered the similarities"</p><p>Inuoka gave a huge grin, amused by the comparison, but then appeared to remember something.</p><p>"That's right! Lev, Kuroo-san said today we would be starting practice earlier. We gotta hurry up!"</p><p>The three first years started their run towards the gym, and the whole incident was momentarily forgotten.</p><p> </p><p>****</p><p>It was a rough practice. Thanks to Yaku 's request, the whole team had dedicated their hours to diving saves and receives, leaving no space to toss or spike. Yaku had directed it completely.</p><p>Not even Kai had managed to organize a few spike exercises, and at the end of practice, not even Taketora-san had enough fuel to move.</p><p>"Yaku-san, you are very stern when it's about receiving" Shibayama managed to wheeze after a few breaths.</p><p>"Of course I am!" Yaku proudly admitted, "Our main strength is defence and the most we train, the better" he stated.</p><p>"For someone so short you sure are very energetic, Yaku-san", Lev said, genuinely surprised to see Yaku still standing. And then Lev came up with a new realization "Well, is not that surprising if you have seen Hinata play. And he said Nishinoya-senpai respects you a lot, Yaku-san, so that means you are very awesome!"</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>* Far away, in Miyagi *</em>
</p><p>Nishinoya felt a sudden burst of unexplained happiness.</p><p>"Hey, Shoyo!" the libero happily shouted, "Let me treat your ice cream!"</p><p>Hinata bounced from his place, grateful and excited at the expectation of a free treat.</p><p>"Thank you, Noya-san!" Hinata beamed, just go think a few more seconds "But why?"</p><p>Nishinoya only laughed out loud, softly slapping his kohai's back.</p><p>"Because I'm the best senpai out there, Shoyo!" Noya laughed "And a good senpai always makes sure to treat his kohai after a good play!"</p><p>"Nishinoya-senpai, you're so cool!"</p><p>"Shoyo!"</p><p>"Noya-san!"</p><p>"SHOYO!!"</p><p>"NOYA-SAN!"</p><p>"SHOYOO!"</p><p>"NOYA-SAAAN!!!"</p><p>"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND BUY SOMETHING OR LEAVE AND GO HAVE A GOOD MEAL AT HOME!" </p><p>
  <em>* Back in Tokyo *</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The look on Yaku 's face was difficult to describe. He was red, but no one could tell if he was flustered or angry.</p><p>"Well, if Shoyo said so then it means you are even better" Kenma managed to say from the floor.</p><p>The setter seemed like he was about to pass out, but the mention of Karasuno's #10 had cheered him up a little.</p><p>Yaku sighed, probably deciding to let it pass for this time.</p><p>"Well, yes, of course, I work hard to do my job..…" the libero mumbled before being interrupted.</p><p>"Getting softer, Yakkun?" Kuroo teased with a smirk</p><p>After which Yaku  punched him the gut</p><p>"You stay out of this" the libero threatened</p><p>The gyms door opened and the whole team jumped from the surprise.</p><p>"We thought you could be especially tired today, so we brought treats" Alisa Haiba announced with a smile, her delicious accent resounding on her words.</p><p>Even though this time she was wearing less elaborated clothing, her beauty was as astounding as always.</p><p>"And y'all seem to be sulking around, so how 'bout we help you a little bit?" another happy voice said.</p><p>Behind Alisa, Akane Yamamoto was holding a few plastic bags filled with groceries.</p><p>For the Nekoma volleyball team, those two were a gift fallen from heaven.</p><p>***</p><p>After delivering the drinks and popsicles, almost everyone had left home and the only members left outside the gym were Kuroo, Kenma, Kai, the Yamamoto and the Haiba siblings.</p><p>"We  shouldn't let Yaku-san in charge of another session" Yamamoto complained, rubbing his neck "The guy's like a demon"</p><p>"Yakkun is very intense when it means receiving. It's his job after all" Kuroo replied with a smile</p><p>"It's too much" Kenma mumbled, still sore from practice</p><p>Alisa laughed at the teams suffering</p><p>"Morisuke-kun does it with the intention of improvement" she declared "He knows this team can still go very far, so he trains those he deems worthy. And I can assure, he is very proud of you all"</p><p>The boys stared at her in wonder</p><p>"Alisa-san, you are so cool!" Akane squeaked with, bright eyes</p><p>"Of course her beauty would go along her wits!" Taketora roared, excited</p><p>"Alisa-san, you are too kind with us", Kai said, in awe </p><p>"Isn't my sister the best?" Lev beamed with pride.</p><p>Alisa only laughed at the boys' antics, very used to it already</p><p>"I'll go throw this to the trash can. After this we are going home, Lyovochka"</p><p>She then walked around the corner to where the trash bin was.</p><p>"Actually, Kuroo, don't we have an English test tomorrow?" Kai asked</p><p>Kuroo seemed to remember.</p><p>"Oh, crap" he cursed "Kenm--"</p><p>"No"</p><p>"Please?"</p><p>"I said no"</p><p>"I really need this test"</p><p>"You shouldn't study the day before"</p><p>"But last time--"</p><p>"Last time I agreed to help you study, you got bored after an hour and took me out to play under the sun. And then got bored and called Bokuto-san for two hours straight"</p><p>That seemed to stop Kuroo, who actually considered for a moment.</p><p>"I promise, this time I--"</p><p>A sudden high pitched scream interrupted his words.</p><p>
  <em>Alisa</em>
</p><p>The boy ran towards the noise, but the first one there was Lev, who had sprinted fast as a bullet.</p><p>There, right next to the trash, three big first years were surrounding Alisa and one of them had grabbed her by the waist, pulling her closer.</p><p>"Come on, girl. I can teach you some good Japanese, too. You'll have fun" the guy said, trying to kiss her.</p><p>"STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER" Lev yelled, furious.</p><p>Before one of them could react, Lev ran towards so fast Yaku would've been proud, and stepped in between Alisa and the guy molesting her. </p><p>Now, Lev had never been one to intimidate others with his height.</p><p>But in those brief seconds, the way Lev´s shadow imposed over the other guy´s figure showed the difference between the two of them as more than clear. Lev´s eyes were shining in anger and he towered over the other one in a display of pure rage.</p><p>"Don´t you dare <em>touch</em> my sister, you disgusting piece of garbage" Lev sissed, trying his best not to punch him(1).</p><p>The other guy, who Lev recognized as Picasso´s paintings-face, stepped back a little, intimidated by the Russian's fury and height. But then he remembered his partners and raised his fist to punch Lev.</p><p>Something strong and steady stopped his arm before he had the chance to do it. </p><p>"Now, what the hell are you trying to do?" a very angry voiced asked.</p><p>He then noticed the angry upperclassmen behind him. </p><p>Kuroo was holding his arm with a firm grip whilst Yamamoto, Akane and gentle, peaceful Kai-san had all of them murderous expressions, ready to jump into action. Even Kenma-san had a very upset expression and honestly, had it been any other occasion, Lev would´ve fled at the moment. </p><p>I mean, yeah, he knew his senpai could be scary, but never had he seen them like that of court. </p><p>"Not only were you harassing our kohai´s dear sister, but you also tried to hit him? For stepping up?" Yamamoto intervened, livid and as angry as Lev himself "IS THAT WHAT I SAW, YOU FUCKING PUNK?" (2)</p><p>The other two who were accompanying Picasso-harasser knew that it was a lost battle.</p><p>"He--hey, Hisato, we should just leave it, man", one of his friends said, stepping back.</p><p>Kai advanced a bit, putting himself between Lev and Hisato. The peaceful third year had seemed to cool down a bit, but his anger was still very palpable and as intimidating as Kuroo, who hadn´t let go of Hisato´s hand.</p><p>"Please, listen to your friend. We don´t want this situation to escalate any further" Kai said with a strained, almost robotic voice.</p><p>"Is no longer three against one" Kenma angrily mumbled, noticing how the tables had completely turned</p><p>Hisato noticed this too and, seeing how he started to shake in fear of the volleyball team, Kuroo let go of his hand.</p><p>"We--we´ll remember this!" he warned while retiring</p><p>"AND YOU THINK WE FUCKING WON´T?" Akane angrily yelled, trying to chase after them. And God knew how scary she could be when really pissed; almost like a tiger showing his fangs.  (3)</p><p>They fled like little rabbits, and soon silencer reigned again. But just for a moment.</p><p>"Sis, are you hurt?"</p><p>"Alisa-san, did they touched you?"</p><p>"Alisa-chan, should I chase after them?"</p><p>Alisa was still a bit shocked and seemed like she was about to burst into tears, scared and a bit confused.</p><p>"You are all overwhelming her" Kenma warned, noticing how she seemed to back off a little</p><p>Kuroo noticed this too and ordered them all to step back. He then, slowly and carefully, approached her.</p><p>"Alisa-san, we are all here now. Don´t worry anymore" the captain said with a calm voice and a soft smile.</p><p>This seemed to relax Alisa, who wiped the almost falling tears and steadied her breath. They were all worried but understood that she needed some space.</p><p>"Thank you, Kuroo-san", she said, grateful "I am better now since you are all here. Thank you all for that. Lyovochka, let´s go home".</p><p>Lev nodded energetically. His sister needed some peace and rest.</p><p>"Alisa-san, we can´t leave you alone after that" Akane said in a display of worry, and Taketora nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Let us accompany you to your place for this time" Kuroo offered</p><p>Alisa smiled at them.</p><p>"Thank you all, for being such good friends."</p><p>***</p><p>Next day, Lev told both Inuoka and Shibayama the incident with Hisato.</p><p>"...and after that Kuroo-san, Kenma-san and Kai-san left, but Akane-chan and Taketora-san stayed for dinner", Lev said</p><p>"Our senpais are awesome" Inuoka admitted "Even Kenma-san stepped in, they´re so cool"</p><p>"Yaku-san would´ve killed them" Shibayama laughed, imagining angry Yaku beating the crap out of some thugs</p><p>Inuoka seemed a bit worried</p><p>"But be careful, Lev" he warned "Try to stay away from them"</p><p>Lev, who until that moment had been pretty chill about the whole ordeal, narrowed his eyes</p><p>"Why would I go near them?" he spat, angry "They hurt my sister"</p><p> Shibayama gulped. It was very unnerving to see his normally happy-go-lucky expression twisted into anger. And a scowl. Since when was Lev capable of scowling?  </p><p>"Well, at least Alisa-san is fine now. We can go visit her today after class. And maybe go for a coffee" Shibayama suggested "Tomorrow there´s no school either, so how about that cat cafe that opened last week? Is a bit far, but we can reach it for sure"</p><p>Lev and Inuoka seemed excited at the idea</p><p>"That would cheer her for real! I think she has the day off too"</p><p>" I haven´t gone to a cat cafe before", Inuoka said, with a huge grin "It sounds fun! And we can help Alisa relax and enjoy herself, so that´s even better!"</p><p>The three first years kept happily rambling about prices and places, completely unaware of certain someone staring right at them.</p><p>It was, indeed, a good day for everyone.</p><p> </p><hr/><p><span class="u">EXPLANATION</span>:</p><p>(1) I always imagined Lev, who´s always shown how much he loves his sister, being very protective towards her. I mean, I am sort of an elder sister myself so I know the feeling.</p><p>(2) Since Taketora is like a Tokyo version of Tanaka, is a personal headcanon I have that Taketora´s very protective towards his juniors, and even more of Alisa, who´s Nekoma´s beauty like Kiyoko is Karasuno´s. And what happens when someone goes near Kiyoko? Tanaka loses it. So this is my little take on what would Taketora do in a similar situation.</p><p>(3) Akane also seems very fond of Alisa and being a Yamamoto, I´d say she is as fierce as her brother, if not more when threatening someone. And scary. And rude. Because she cares of Alisa as a younger sister.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I´ll be posting the second chapter very soon.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Reaching the Highest Point</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A tall, tall wall loomed in front of you. But once you jump and reach your highest, the wall disappears. The view from top is a beautiful sight indeed.</p><p>Then you hear the crowd cheering and the feeling of your teammates beside you is what makes worth all the effort.</p><p>Is your teammates and the satisfaction of aiding for a win that makes worth all the pain.</p><p>And you would go through it over and over, just for your team.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WARNING: Mentions of violence. First time writing something like this so is not very explicit, but a warning never does harm.<br/>Also, this is probably going to be the longest chapter so BEWARE! :v</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cat cafe had been great. Alisa had agreed to visit it and after practice, they manage to arrive on time. The pastries were astounding and the coffee itself was incredibly delightful. Not too sweet but not so bitter either. The cats were also friendly and fluffy, and a young Russian blue had rubbed off on Lev´s leg for most of the time. Inuoka had laughed at the similarities between the cat and Lev itself. And he and Shibayama had laughed even more when they both turned their heads towards the waitress at the same time. Alisa had chuckled and after asking if they could keep the cat, Alisa had agreed to adopt it. But in a few days, because there were things that needed to be bought.</p><p>The cat cafe had been great.</p><p>The next few weeks, not so much.</p><p>As mentioned before, whispers and squeaks were something Lev was very used to. He liked being the centre of attention.</p><p>But these whispers were different from the ones before.</p><p>These weren´t surprised from his height or heritage or hair nor amazed by his volley skills. These weren´t innocent comments.</p><p>These were judgemental, hurtful and low whispers.</p><p>Whispers about an encounter, a trash bin, third years and two half-Russians. And threats. And violence and Alisa offering herself.</p><p>Twisted whispers about a twisted story.</p><p>And Lev could hear them all when walking through the hallways alone. He could hear them when he entered a class alone. He could hear them when alone in the lockers, both Inuoka and Shibayama away for a while. He would always hear it when there was no one else around.  He would be pushed when there was no one around. </p><p>And it was at those moments Lev started to hurt. The hurtful words were carving more and more on his heart, trough his ears.</p><p>It was tough</p><p>But it wasn´t impossible.</p><p>Volleyball practice was as great as always. There had been many practice matches against a few other schools and in every match, Lev was able to witness how much he improved over the course of time and rough practice with Yaku-san. The third years were as steady and kind as always. It was that steadiness that made things easier for Lev. As much as he liked Inuoka and Shibayama, the senpais presence made Lev feel safe. Specially Yaku-san.</p><p>Yaku-san, who was always yelling at him for sucking at receives and punching him for calling out Yaku´s height. Yaku, who would pat his back in encouragement after a great practice and pat his head after an even greater match. </p><p>Yaku, who scolded him when he forgot his jacket when cold or his lunch when in a hurry. Yaku, who would always buy him a snack when there was nothing else.</p><p>Yaku´s presence was steady, and it was a steadiness Lev really needed at the moment.</p><p>Another thing that helped a lot was Siniy (1), the Russian blue from the cat cafe. Alisa had managed to adopt him a week after visiting the cafe and now the house had many cat toys. And the cat itself was a blessing.  Siniy seemed to notice when Lev was feeling down, and the small cat would cuddle on his lap or jump to his bed and simply stay by his side. </p><p>And Lev couldn´t be more grateful for that. </p><p>Alisa was great, too. She, like Siniy, seem to notice when something was off and Lev stayed more quiet than usual or just simply wouldn´t smile.</p><p>At the next morning, Lev would find his favourite dish as breakfast and a note from his big sister who had already left for work.</p><p>It was these small gestures that made everything bearable for Lev.  He could handle any whisper and rumour as long as everyone stayed with him, not leaving him alone and not worrying about unimportant words. </p><p>Lev was already a big boy, he could perfectly handle stupid words by himself. As an ace, he had to be strong too. </p><p>***</p><p>It was a nice moment for Yaku to meet up with his two first-year kohais on his way to class. Kuroo had asked him to give them the schedule for the upcoming matches, and since he was basically the one that took care of the first years he found them without a problem. He also had to tell them both coach Nekomata and coach Naoi had gone out of town to personally visit another school and arrange a practice match.</p><p>Shibayama met up with Yaku-san after he had gone to pick Inuoka to go to art class together. The wing spiker was fun to chat with and always listened to what one had to say, so Shibayama really appreciated his company. And unlike Lev, who really tried but never actually succeeded, Inuoka was able to remember everything Shibayama commented about. Not that Lev was a bad partner at all. On the contrary, the young Russian was amongst the kindest and happiest people Shibayama had ever met, never half-assing at practice or slacking off even when tired.</p><p>Lev was, for both first years, a very respectable partner and friend. </p><p>This is the main reason why the three of them were so surprised at the whispers they were able to hear on the corridors.</p><p>"... but then the teacher decided to give us two whole essays for homework" Inuoka pouted like a kicked puppy, already tired from all the work awaiting at home. They had an art class next, so they had opened their lockers and were picking up their materials for class. </p><p>Shibayama laughed at his friend´s disgrace and caring Yaku-san patted his kohai´s back, in sympathy</p><p>"It sounds like you won´t be having a rest soon" the libero laughed, amused.</p><p>Inuoka couldn´t help but laugh too.</p><p>It was when the three of them fell silent they were able to hear a foreign conversation.</p><p>"... and then the volleyball third years almost beat him to a pulp, those damn delinquents", an annoyed voice said. It was high pitched, so it was probably a girl "If they are all so dangerous to us normal students I still don´t understand why they haven´t been disbanded yet. I mean, look at that loud second year. He may be a senpai but if he started walking towards me, I would totally flee!"</p><p>The three volleyball players stiffened and shared a very concerned look. </p><p>"And don´t get me started with that weird half-Russian from class 3", the girl continued "He´s so damn tall it´s almost non-human! And every time I have to talk to him he towers over me smiling like a creep. He´s not even completely Japanese, so he shouldn´t be here in the first place! After how he threatened the whole group from his class, I´d personally expel him and sent him back to Russia"</p><p><em>&lt;&lt;What´s with those nasty comments?&gt;&gt;</em>  Inuoka thought, angry. He wasn´t one to get easily riled up, but he was having trouble to hold himself.</p><p>Shibayama seemed to be in the same situation and Yaku-san was almost murderous. Of course, he had heard about the incident and had been very concerned and upset about it, but he thought it had been just a thing of the moment. </p><p>"I still don´t understand what his sister has to do with all of this", a second girl asked, "Could you explain one more time?"  </p><p>The first girl sighed, exasperated </p><p>"Your deaf or a complete idiot. This is the last time I explain and if you want more details, go ask Hisato-san!" Girl#1 said</p><p>"I promise I´ll get it all this time" Girl#2 promised</p><p>Girl#1 sighed again.</p><p>"Fine. To sum it up, Hisato-san said he was with his friends after class near the trash bin next to the gym when this woman appeared. She looked like a foreigner, very tall and silver hair. Beautiful indeed" Girl#1 started "And that after throwing some trash bags, she got closed to him, provocative. Said she got flirty, trying to get his attention, and started lowering down, like a slut"</p><p>Shibayama couldn´t help but grith his teeth in rage and he saw how Yaku´s knuckles were white from how strong he was holding his jacket. </p><p>"And when he said no, she got more insistent and try to kiss him, so he tried to push her back. That´s when Haiba, the weirdo from class 3, appeared. Turns out the woman was his sister and he was stupid enough to misinterpret the situation. And what does he do instead of asking? He pushes Hisato-san back and threatens to punch him. And when Hisato-san tries to explain himself, the volleyball senpais appear!"</p><p>Girl#2 gasped in worry</p><p>"Then they all ganged up on Hisato-san and threatened to beat him to a pulp, as I told you before. They said if Hisato-san said a word, they would go and "finish business" with him" Girl#1 finished</p><p>"Man, that was so intense! Hisato-san must be very brave if he chose to speak after that" Girl#2 said, admired.</p><p>"The thing is, he hasn´t said it out loud. He knows those delinquents would hurt him and his friends, so he´s just spreading it underneath. I heard he managed to convince the vice-principal to ban non-students from campus, so that slut foreigner won´t be getting near us soon" Girl#1 laughed.</p><p>Yaku bit his lip to avoid himself from snapping.</p><p>"Wow, Hisato-san´s so smart and brave! I could give him chocolates for being so manly. I have house economics and we are doing pastries, so I could use the time" Girl#2 suggested.</p><p>"But didn´t you said you shared the table with Haiba? Man, that sucks. Don´t speak to him, okay? If he asks just ignore him and if he gets insistent tell the teacher to change tables. I don´t want you getting trouble" Girl#1 warned in worry</p><p>"Oh, don´t worry about it. He doesn´t try to speak anymore" Girl#2 announced happily, "I think he noticed a while ago that nobody likes him anymore, so he just stays quiet or staring at something" </p><p>The three eavesdroppers shared very concerned looks. </p><p>A quiet Lev could be concerning at best, dangerous at worst</p><p>"Stare? Geez, what a freak. Just stay away from him, okay? And try to spread what I told you, so no one goes near him" Girl#1 advised, " You could try to keep his fellow first years from approaching him. You share classes with them, right?</p><p>"Inuoka-kun and Shibayama-kun, yes. We share class. I´ll speak to them soon, then." </p><p>Then they both closed their locker and their voices got soon lost around the corner.</p><p>The next few seconds were very tense, and the silence was almost overbearing.</p><p>A loud noise, almost like a shot, snapped them out of their angry daze.</p><p>Yaku was looking enraged and they saw his fist´s shape engraved at the locker door. They both gulped in fright.</p><p>"Don´t do anything" the libero ordered in a strained voice "I´ll talk to Kuroo and Kai and we´ll find a way to solve those rumours. You just stay out of trouble and for god´s sake, don´t leave Lev alone. Just let your senpai take care of this" </p><p>He then gently patted their heads and left, fuming and cursing underneath.</p><p>Both first years shared a surprised, concerned and angry look, all at the same amount.  </p><p>They then nodded at each other, sharing the same thought.</p><p>
  <em>&lt;&lt;We must take care of Lev&gt;&gt;</em>
</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>House Economics had never been Lev´s best subject. He was too tall and everything was too tiny so he had hard times spotting and handling the ingredients and utensils. He would often trip or spill what he was supposed to use; having limbs so long didn't help him too much in these cases. Lev suspected this was the main why Shibayama was able to make figurines and crafts so complicated and cool. It was obviously because of his size and not his skills, Lev told himself. </p><p>He used to enjoy his own mess, and would often have fun when working. </p><p>But that had been before.</p><p>Now his body seemed to be working on his own and it just didn´t seem like anything was going to work.  And since nobody spoke to him anymore, Lev couldn´t ask for help. Even his own table partner refused to look him in the eye or say more than a few dry words. It was a lost cause, Lev knew, but it was frustrating because Lev had done nothing besides smile and try to start conversations.</p><p>His day had been so bad even the teacher, already used to his clumsiness and antics, had called him out a few times.  </p><p>So no, Lev wasn´t in the best mood when he left class.</p><p>And above that, he was still able to hear the mean whispers that now made him company every time he was alone.</p><p>"Freak"</p><p>"Fucking foreigner"</p><p>"Damn delinquent"</p><p>"Half bastard"</p><p>"Did you heard his sister is a slut?"</p><p>"Haiba-kun"</p><p>"He´s so dumb and annoying"</p><p>"Haiba-kun!"</p><p>"He´s always yelling, he´s such a bother"</p><p>"Do you see how he´s always smiling?"</p><p>"What a creep"</p><p>"HAIBA-KUN!"</p><p>Lev jumped at the sudden yell and looked around him, finding both Shibayama and Inuoka besides him, staring in concern.</p><p>"What´s wrong, Lev?", Inuoka asked in worry "Shibayama has been calling you many times"</p><p>"Is something bothering you, Haiba-kun?" the short libero asked, narrowing his eyes.</p><p>Lev opened his mouth a to shrug off their concern, but the whispers came at him with considerable speed. </p><p>Lev doubted.</p><p>
  <em>"Skyscraper"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Freak"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Fucking retard"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Fucking foreigner"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Damn delinquent"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Half bastard"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Did you heard his sister is a slut?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He´s so dumb and annoying"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"He´s always yelling, he´s such a bother"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do you see how he´s always smiling?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What a creep"</em>
</p><p>For a breve second, Lev´s walls cracked and almost spill out everything.</p><p>Then Lev remembered: An ace had to be strong.</p><p>As an ace, he couldn´t let his precious teammates worry about mindless words.  As an ace, he had to pull his own weight and shine brighter than anyone.</p><p>Pitiful whispers were nothing compared to receive practice with Yaku-san.</p><p>And he gave them the most sincere and honest smile possible.</p><p>"No, everything´s totally fine!" he said, and he completely meant it.</p><p>As long as his teammates were with him, Lev knew he was invincible. </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>"Kuroo, Kai" Yaku called "We need to talk"</p><p>Both third years had arrived first to open the gym and were now changing before practice. The captain turned around to see his small friend looking at him very intensely.</p><p><em>Too</em> <em>intensely</em></p><p>Kuroo smiled, slightly oblivious to Yaku´s <em>actually</em> concerned voice.</p><p>"My, my. Yakkun, is this a confession? I knew this day would come soon, but I never figured it´d be so soon" the bedhead captain teased with a smirk.</p><p>Yaku punched him in the gut again, and this time Kuroo felt the anger behind Yaku´s actions. Kai seemed to notice too, so they both stiffened in expectation and worry.</p><p>"Is not that, idiot!" Yaku snarled "This is a serious matter. It´s about Lev"</p><p>"Did something happened to him? "Kai asked in concern</p><p>"Did he do something? I swear I don´t care if it wasn´t on purpose if he exploded another microwave I won´t..."</p><p>"Just listen for once, dumbass!" Yaku snapped. He then inhaled and explained the situation "I heard some nasty rumours about him and Alisa-san in regards of the trash bin incident"</p><p>Kuroo´s and Kai´s gaze severely darkened at the mention of the incident.</p><p>"Rumours?" Kuroo asked in a dangerous whisper</p><p>Yaku nodded</p><p>"A certain little bastard has been spreading twisted stories", he explained, "And now everyone thinks of Alisa-san as a..." Yaku´s mouth went spur at the awful word " They refer to her as a slut and Lev as a mindless delinquent who must be avoided like a plague"</p><p>Kai´s brows were frown in anger and Kuroo´s face was as impassible a stone mask. </p><p>"Does Lev knows about this?" Kuroo asked</p><p>"I think has been aware for a while, but just didn´t tell us. Inuoka and Shibayama already now, too, and I asked them to look out for him"</p><p>Both Kai and Yaku remained quiet, expecting for the captain's words.</p><p>"He must´ve been keeping it to himself" Kuroo sighed, "I thought he was acting a bit off, but he seemed mostly fine with us. We´ll discuss this deeper after practice, and we should talk to Lev since it´s him the rumours are about. For the moment just keep an eye on him and don´t let him wander alone. Distract him if possible so he doesn't hear nasty words and try to gather more information about that fucking bastard" Kuroo ordered in a hiss</p><p>Both third years nodded gravely, completely aware of this situation</p><p>
  <em>&lt;&lt;We´ll make him regret this&gt;&gt;</em>
</p><p>When the three of them left the changing room, both Inuoka and Shibayama had already arrived.</p><p>"Where´s Lev?" Yaku asked, surprised of not seeing Lev jump at him like always. Lev never arrived late and was amongst the last on leaving, so this was quite the surprise.</p><p>"He was with us but he forgot his things on his locker so he went back to pick it up" Shibayama explained, entering the changing room</p><p>Yaku frowned. There was this twist on his gut told him there was something off. </p><p>"Don´t worry so much, Yaku-san. He´ll be back soon!" Inuoka reassured with a smile.</p><p>"I know you are worried and I´m honestly concerned too, but we have to start practice. Almost everyone is here already" Kuroo said, signalling Yamamoto, Fukunaga and Kenma </p><p>"Kuroo is right, Yaku. Besides Coach Naoi and Coach Nekomata are out, so now it´s going to be a busy practice" Kai advised, still a bit undecided.</p><p>After being quiet for a moment, Yaku sighed in defeat and shrugged his gut twist.</p><p>It was only less than a class</p><p>What could wrong?</p><p>***</p><p>It had been almost before entering the gym Lev had noticed there was something missing</p><p>"Crap!" he cursed </p><p>"What´s wrong?" Inuoka asked</p><p>"I forgot my bag in my locker!"</p><p>"We can go with you to pick it up" Shibayama offered </p><p>"You don´t have too. The practice is about to start, so just go on without me and I´ll catch up later" Lev insisted</p><p>Both his partners doubted for a moment, but they knew Lev enough to know it was a lost battle, so they waved and Lev went running back to his locker.</p><p>It took a bit longer than expected because he somehow managed to get a bit lost, but soon after he saw his locker and opened it to retrieve his bag.</p><p>Now, if you consider his height, one wouldn´t believe how distracted Lev can get. You would believe that since he rises higher than most people, he´s able to target threats easier.</p><p>He´s not.</p><p>It is <em>because </em>of his height he gets distracted with the littlest detail and fails to notice the most important ones.</p><p>This is the reason why he failed to notice the group of lightly known students that had ganged up in the neighbouring corridor, the one right next to his locker.</p><p>Once the young middle blocker had retrieved his bag, he turned around to go to the gym, but he was stopped on his track by a classmate he knew well.</p><p>It was at the moment Lev realized he was surrounded.</p><p>"It took you a while to go by yourself", Hisato said with a cruel smile "We knew you were a big baby, but we didn´t know you were so fucking attached to your senpai. What´s his name again? Yaku Morisuke-san?"</p><p>Lev stiffened and clenched his fists, annoyed by the new visitors.</p><p>"What the hell do you want with Yaku-san?" Lev growled in annoyance (2)</p><p>"Oh, the little kitty has fangs" Hisato proclaimed in fake surprise "Is the delinquent actually worried about Yaku-senpai? And what if I told you to worry more about the other shorty, Shibayama-kun?" </p><p>Lev felt a very nasty feeling cramping up his stomach.</p><p>"What do you mean?!" Lev demanded, angry and scared</p><p>The first hit was quite unexpected, and it collided to Lev´s back, unbalancing him a bit.</p><p>"What Hisato´s trying to say, brainless half, is that we´ll go after every single one of your volleyball friends and make them pay for the humiliation you gave us the other day"</p><p>"But Yaku-san and Shibayama-kun have nothing to do wi--"</p><p>A fist connected with his mouth and Lev bit his tongue hard, making it bleed. </p><p>"I didn´t ask for your opinion, half. We´ll go after them if we want" Hisato remarked, angry "Inouka-kun is very friendly, isn´t he? But Kozume-san doesn´t like to open up. I wonder how Akane-chan is like. Wonder if she´s as easy as your sister"</p><p>Lev´s blood started to boil and he stepped forward, in rage.</p><p>"Hey, what the fu--"</p><p>This punch was straight into his stomach, so Lev just bent down in surprise and pain when, abruptly, something hard hit his temple and the young middle blocker stumbled on the floor, completely off his balance and very dizzy.</p><p>"Not so brave now, huh?" Hisato said in annoyance. He grabbed Lev´s hair tight and pulled him closer "Try to move or escape and your teammates will pay the price, ya hear me? We´ll go after them"</p><p>There was not much Lev could do, so he simply nodded. Which was a bad idea, because his headache only worsened. </p><p>Then a shoe crossed his face and Lev felt his lip splitting at the force of the hit. And then another kick on his stomach, sending all the air of his chest and leaving him breathless. A stomp on his back, a punch on his face again. Someone really liked hitting his face, over, and over, and over again. </p><p>Lev felt his bone, cracking under the other guy´s fist, and then something warm and sticky down his face. A kick to the mouth and then Lev had to spit his own tooth. </p><p>He couldn't breathe, hits were coming from everywhere. Hits were connecting with his chest many times and he was sure he felt a few ribs cracking. </p><p>Someone tried to step on his hands, but just in time Lev opened his eyes and saw it all in slow motion.</p><p>
  <em>His hands? </em>
</p><p>He couldn´t let them take his hands away. His hands were precious, as precious as his teammates. His hands were for receiving, and spiking, and grabbing food. With his hand, he lifted Yaku-san when the libero was distracted, and with his hands, he had proudly received his volleyball uniform. With his hands, he patted backs and hi-fived with his friends after a victory.</p><p>His hands were his life, his hands were for volleyball. His hands connected, so they were precious like his teammates. His friends.</p><p>His hands were his friends. He would protect his precious hands, just like he would protect his precious friends. </p><p>Lev yelled and with the strength he had left, he pushed Hisato with all his weight and to the ground. He felt Hisato´s surprised frame fall, and they both hit the floor.</p><p>It was sudden, so nobody reacted.</p><p>But then everything went louder, and the pain raised.</p><p>Lev screamed and groaned, but nothing stopped and it was suffocating. </p><p>"Fucking brat!"</p><p>"Useless prick"</p><p>Hit after hit</p><p>"Big fucking baby you are!"</p><p>Hit after hit.</p><p>Someone spat on him. </p><p>Lev was sure he had started crying a while ago, but everything was too blurry and messy to comprehend.</p><p>Insult after insult at the sound of the beatings that kept coming.</p><p>Lev´s face was squished onto the ground and his right side was cold because the floor was cold. </p><p>His face was wet. Snots, tears or blood, Lev couldn´t tell. Everything was blurry, his hands were blurry. </p><p>But his treasured hands were fine, so his treasured friends had to be fine, right?</p><p>He realized then he was alone. Hisato and his gang had left and Lev didn´t know how long ago.</p><p>It could´ve been five minutes or five hours. Or maybe just five seconds. </p><p>Lev didn´t want to move, because everything was mushy and if he moved he was gonna throw up his organs. And throwing up his organs was definitely not a good idea. He wasn´t very good at cleaning either.</p><p>Lev had to make sure his friends were alright, even though his hands were alright. He had to go and see they were fine, and then ask Yaku-san to receive practice with him. And smile next to Shibayama and Inuoka at the good grades for their exam. And celebrate after miraculously spiking over Kuroo-san, and receive some head pats from Kai-san. Then he had to ask tosses from Kenma-san and enjoy the low-key jokes Fukunaga-san would share with him. He still had to help Taketora-san find a cute female manager and chat a bit with Akane-chan. </p><p>And he had to pet Siliy and greet Alisa when she returned home.</p><p>And he had to enjoy another treat Yaku-san will buy him if he insisted enough.</p><p>So Lev started to walk. Step by step, small, little steps.  </p><p>Then longer steps, slowly closing the distance between himself and the gym. It was closer, so close. The sky had darkened, so practice wasn´t going to last much longer. Maybe after waking up, Yaku-san could still help him to practice receives. </p><p>Then Lev was able to see the gym´s door, and he sighed in relief. He heard a whistling sound from his chest and his legs were shaking a wobbling, sharp pain from his right ankle.</p><p>But an ace had to be strong, so Lev was going to be strong and reach the doors.</p><p>He realized he had finally reached them, and he supported himself on the walls.</p><p>He then raised in all his height and finally, finally, opened the gym doors. Lev had heard them yell and jump before, but after a few seconds, everyone had gone quiet at the sudden interruption of their game. Or rather, who had interrupted their game,</p><p>No one moved, because they were too shocked to do something.</p><p>"Is every--" Lev started, but then coughed a bit and he felt warm dripping his mouth "Is everyone alright?" </p><p>Yaku was the first one to talk, and he sounded very angry. </p><p>"Why would you ask for us? Look at yourself, you moro--"</p><p>Lev didn´t want more insults.</p><p>"IS EVERYONE ALRIGHT?" Lev snapped, angry " JUST TELL ME!"</p><p>He had opened his right eye in anger. His left eye was a bit swollen and Lev really didn´t want to think about that. </p><p>Yaku shut up, surprised for his junior´s outburst.</p><p>"We are all fine, Lev. The whole team is practising, we were only waiting for you. " Kenma-san said in a calm voice. </p><p>Anyone could´ve had said he was being indifferent, but his teammates saw him tense and shaking, startled by his friend´s state. </p><p>Lev sighed in relief.</p><p>"Das--" there was a sharp pain in his ribcage and a painful cough "Dat´s great" he wholeheartedly babbled.</p><p>He then felt his muscles letting loose, but worried no longer because his hands were fine so his friends were fine. </p><p>"LEV!" someone shouted his name in worry.</p><p>Someone grabbed him before hitting the ground, but Lev wasn´t sure who because darkness swallowed faster than everyone else.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>EXPLICATION</p><p>(1): Siniy means "blue" in Russian, and since it´s a Russian blue I thought it was a fitting name for the little guy. Very creative, let me tell ya´.</p><p>(2): I know Lev is not the type to speak or answer like that, but to be honest, the guy assaulted his sister. He has the right to be upset. I´d be really upset too, you know?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Landing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>You have already reached the top, and the wall has been broken.<br/>Now you have to land on your feet, and the exhaustion of the game runs through your body once again.<br/>But then your teammates lend you a hand and you grab it, and you feel relief.<br/>Because your teammates are here, and you now you can play together one more time.<br/>That is the meaning of reaching the highest point and all you can think of is only one thought:<br/>TO THE TOP!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I wanted this one to be the last one, but it won´t fit in only one chapter<br/>I´ll just make another one, so please be patient.</p><p>Feelings and fluff and angst ensured, so be prepared</p><p>Really hope you enjoy it.</p><p>Also, season 4 is doing great and I can´t wait for the biggest matches to be animated!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Something was patting his face.</p><p>It was a gentle pat, constant but not violent.</p><p>It was, in some way, reassuring.</p><p>But it was getting insistent and Lev couldn't help but groan in annoyance.</p><p>There was a voice too.</p><p>"-ev, ca- yo- he-- me?" the voice asked again</p><p>The voice sounded worried. Like it had failed an exam, but worst.</p><p>"Le-, wak- u-!" the voice insisted.</p><p>And it was kind, but stern, just like Yaku-san. And Yaku-san was always steady and firm and safe, so everything was fine because Yaku-san was there. So Lev made a huge effort and, against his body´s wishes, he slowly opened his eyes.</p><p>"Yaku-san?" he mumbled, and then coughed. His throat was dry because he had been screaming a lot. Why, Lev wasn´t entirely sure. Everything was messy. And mushy.</p><p>Everything was messy and mushy.</p><p>He heard Yaku-san sighing in relief.</p><p>"I´m here, Lev. Don´t worry" Yaku gently said, ruffling his hair</p><p>"Where am I?" Lev asked, confused. Yaku stiffened a bit, but his voice didn´t shake when he answered </p><p>"You are in the gym, Lev. Do you remember how you got here?" Yaku asked in a firm, demanding voice</p><p>Lev blinked a few times, confused. His memories were blurry, but he had to answer Yaku.</p><p>"I wanted-" there was another cough and a sharp pain between his ribs. More liquid dripped from his lips, and Lev winced and whimpered and grabbed his own chest "I had ta now ya´ were fine" Lev managed to explain "But look ´ere, Yaku-san. My hands ar´ fine, I can still receive. I can still practice with ya´"</p><p>Lev knew he was seeing everything double, but he probably had a concussion. There was no other way Yaku-san was crying. Tough, gentle, strict Yaku-san never cried. It was a hallucination, probably.</p><p>"Of course you can, Lev. You are going to be fine, you hear me? I´m going to keep you safe" Yaku promised, grabbing his hand, firmly and steadily.</p><p>It was a steadiness that meant safety. </p><p>"I know. Yaku-san´s short but strong. Stronger than me" Lev mumbled in a smile.</p><p>And even if Yaku had hit him, it wouldn´t have mattered because he was with his team and that meant he was safe.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Yaku was mostly known for being steady, and for his skills when receiving. And lifting. And connecting.</p><p>So when Lev stumbled, bloody and bathed, through the gym´s doors, Yaku had to steady himself. </p><p>And when Lev´s weight finally overcame his legs and the young boy collapsed towards the ground, when Lev´s shape finally crumbled, Yaku reacted.</p><p>Before the boy hit the ground Yaku swallowed the fear creeping up his throat and was there to connect his hands with Lev´s back, lifting him from the ground and gently receiving his kohai´s weight. </p><p>"LEV!" someone yelled, and Yaku couldn´t tell if it had been himself or one of the others.</p><p>He was surprised at not hearing chaos on his back.</p><p>"We need to call an ambulance", Fukunaga said, grabbing his phone and dialling the emergency number "I´ll do it", he said, and Yaku couldn´t be more grateful.</p><p>"WHO THE FUCK DID THIS?", Taketora roared in rage and had it been any other occasion Yaku would´ve scolded him.</p><p>But this time Yaku was actually refraining himself from yelling and throwing a fit. </p><p>"We can ask him if we keep him awake" Kai ordered, as the level headed person he was "We need to keep him conscious in case of a concussion" </p><p>"I´ll bring the first aid kit", Kenma said and ran to the club room where they kept it in case of emergency</p><p>"Someone calls Alisa, we need to tell her what happened" Kuroo order like the good captain he was</p><p>"I-- I have her number be-- because we went o--out a few weeks ago. I´ll--I´ll do it!" Inuoka declared, breathing shallow, rapidly and angsty.</p><p>Kai, noticing his kohai´s behaviour, rubbed his back softly to prevent him from panicking </p><p>"Calm down, Inuoka. If you freeze and panic you won´t be able to help Lev. And only you have Alisa-san´s number, so we are counting on you. Stay calm, okay?" Kai reassured him, with a gentle smile.</p><p>Only Kuroo and Yaku were able to see how tense and on edge the tanned boy was. </p><p>Inuoka nodded and after breathing deeply, he went by his own to call Alisa.</p><p>"We shouldn´t move him in case something´s broken. But try to put him in a more comfortable position, Yakkun" Kuroo asked gently</p><p>Yaku nodded, reassured by the captain´s presence. Kuroo may be a pain in the ass, but he was there when he had to.</p><p>"Help me lay him down", Yaku asked, and along with Kuroo, both managed to lower Lev on the floor, carefully expanding the Russian´s long limbs and resting the boy´s head on Yaku´s lap.</p><p>"Is he going to be okay?" a little voice asked.</p><p>Shibayama was staring at his friend´s battered body in fear and had started shaking. </p><p>"This is my fault, I should've insisted more" the young liber whispered "Lev´s hurt because I shrugged him off even after Yaku-san´s request and--"</p><p>Kuroo stood up and lightly bumped Shibayama´s head.</p><p>"Breathe, man", Kuroo said, "Circulate oxygen so..."</p><p>"The brain can function...?" (1)</p><p>"Bingo!" Kuroo smiled at him gently "We need you to go pick up Lev´s things for us. Inuoka is busy right now and you´re the only one available who knows where is his locker."</p><p>Shibayama nodded with determination and steadied himself, for Lev´s sake.</p><p>"Yamamoto, you go with the boy and take care of him. If you see anyone suspicious do what you must, but be careful. I´ll entrust Shibayama with you" Kuroo ordered</p><p>Yamamoto nodded energetically and both him and Shibayama left the gym towards the school building.</p><p>"Lev, can you hear me?" Yaku called, patting the boy´s left side of the face "Lev, wake up!" he called again</p><p>Lev´s eyelids flutter a bit, and finally, the boy heavily opened his eyes.</p><p>"Yaku-san?" the boy mumbled and coughed a bit.</p><p>Yaku sighed in relief and released the breath he didn´t know had been holding.</p><p>"I´m here, Lev. Don´t worry" Yaku reassured him, ruffling his soft, silky hair</p><p>"Where am I?" Lev asked, confused. Yaku stiffened in worry. Yes, it was very likely, but the chances of a concussion were worrisome, to say the least.</p><p>"You are in the gym, Lev. Do you remember how you got here?" Yaku asked the boy, softly demanding answers.</p><p>Lev blinked a few times, seemingly confused. Yaku could almost see his brain working.</p><p>"I wanted-" Lev coughed and more bloody saliva dripped from his lips. The boy winced in pain and grabbed his ribs instinctively "I had ta now ya´ were fine" Lev babbled "But look ´ere, Yaku-san", he said raising his long, strong and unharmed hands "My hands ar´ fine, I can still receive. I can still practice with ya´"</p><p>Yaku´s heart ached at the word and couldn´t help a few tears slowing down his own cheeks. Of course this big baby would protect his hands, and of course he would ask Yaku for practice when he needed to lay down. It ached, but it was warm how much Lev had improved. </p><p>"Of course you can, Lev. You are going to be fine, you hear me? I´m going to keep you safe" Yaku promised, grabbing his hand, firmly and steadily.</p><p>"I know. Yaku-san´s short but strong. Stronger than me" Lev mumbled in a rogue smile. </p><p>Yaku, on any other occasion, would´ve slapped him hard. Right now, he only laughed and caressed the boy´s soft hair</p><p>"I called the ambulance", Fukunaga said "They´ll be here in twenty minutes"</p><p>"Alisa-san is on her way too. She´ll be here in ten" Inuoka declared, running towards Yaku.</p><p>"I have the kit", Kenma said, with the white box on his hand.</p><p>Kuroo sighed heavily.</p><p>"It´s no use to keep on practising. Fukunaga, Inuoka, Kenma, I want you three to go home and rest. Tomorrow there won´t be any practice, but we´ll have a meeting and then you´ll know more about Lev´s condition. I´ll tell everything to Coach Nekomata and Coach Naoi. Right now just go home"</p><p>"I´ll go with them" Kai offered "I´d feel better if I know they´ll be safe, and Yamamoto can go with Shibayama when they return"</p><p>Kuroo nodded, and the other three went their own way.</p><p>Kenma stayed</p><p>"What are you doing?" Kuroo asked in curiosity</p><p>"I´m the one who has taken care of you all these years, Kuroo. I know a little about first aid and Yaku-san can´t move because he´s holding Lev, so this should help" Kenma said, opening the first aid kit.</p><p>Kuroo new it was useless to discuss, so just sit down and helped treat Lev.</p><p>"Keep him awake, Yakkun. Talk to him" Kuroo said</p><p>Yaku nodded</p><p>"Stay awake, Lev. Don´t fall asleep" </p><p>Lev groaned but kept his eyes open.</p><p>"It hurts", he mumbled</p><p>"Can you pinpoint were?" Yaku asked</p><p>"Ribs. Ankle. Head" the boy managed to say "It´s all mushy inside"</p><p>Kenma took his shoe off, and Lev flinched at the touch.</p><p>"Sorry" he apologised "Kuroo, you clean any open wound. Start with his face"</p><p>"Who did this, Lev? Can you tell me?" Yaku asked</p><p>"Was da guy from da trash bin" Lev answered slowly, like trying to put his thought in order "If I left, he´d come here, but I didn´t so he didn´t. So I´m an ace, ´cus I´m strong" </p><p>Kenma rolled his eyes a bit but kept holding the ice pack next to Lev´s ankle. </p><p>"Keep babbling, Lev. We want to hear you nice and clear" Kuroo joked, trying to lighten the mood</p><p>Lev smiled, amused.</p><p>But Yaku was livid</p><p>"You mean that if you resisted, they would´ve come after us?" he asked, just to confirm</p><p>"Yeah" Lev admitted "But dey won´t ´cus my hands´re fine so ya´ll fine. ´Cus my hands are precious, like ma´ team"</p><p>It was barely understandable, but Yaku couldn´t be more proud.</p><p>"We´re all fine, Lev. And you´re going to be fine, too"</p><p>The boy nodded, wincing at the movement.</p><p>The next minutes of waiting, Yaku kept talking to Lev and when Kenma finished the first aid Alisa had already arrived. Kuroo explained her the situation and she kept her cool at the sight of her injured little brother, grabbing his hand and caressing his face.</p><p>Shibayama and Yamamoto entered the gym, too, and after giving to Alisa all of Lev´s belongings they followed Kuroo´s orders and went home.</p><p>When the ambulance arrived, Alisa left with the vehicle and promised to text them about any update in regards to Lev.</p><p>The gym went quiet.</p><p>"We´ll make him pay for what he did" Yaku swore in rage</p><p>Both Kenma and Kuroo nodded.</p><p>After that, the three of them went home.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>It wasn´t difficult for Shibayma to find his way towards Lev´s locker. Unlike his friend, directions weren´t difficult to remember and memorizing them wasn´t a big deal either. </p><p>The difficult part, for both him and Yamamoto, was the arrival. </p><p>When they turned the corner to were the libero knew Lev´s locker was, they both froze. </p><p>There were many bloodstains on the floor and Lev´s bag had been thrown, all his belongings scattered and a few notebooks ripped off and stepped on. The locker was open and on the floor, a bit away, there was something small Shibayama knew it was a tooth.</p><p>To say Yamamoto was angry was an understanding. </p><p>"Goddamnit! Fuck!" he loudly cursed, punching a locker with all his strength "Those bastards will pay, I fucking swear!"</p><p>"Taketora-san!" Shibayama called</p><p>"What?!"</p><p>"We only have to pick up his things. I´ll copy the broken notebooks for him, but give me a hand with the textbooks" he ordered, trying to keep his cool</p><p>Yamamoto angrily nodded and quickly picked up Lev´s belongings</p><p>"I´ll copy his notes. Let´s just leave" the libero begged. He was very close to throwing up, but he knew Kuroo-san was counting on him.</p><p>Yamamoto realized then how distressed his kohai was. The young boy seemed pale and looked sick, and he wasn´t breathing very well. </p><p>Yamamoto sighed</p><p>"Liste, Shibayama" he started "I know its difficult to see your friend like that. But he´s going to be okay, do you hear me? Yaku will look after him. Then we´ll look for whoever did this and we, as a team, will kick his ass for messing with Lev. We´ll do that, okay? So stay calm"</p><p>Shibayama seemed to relax a bit and gave a deep breath</p><p>"Circulate oxygen so the brain can function" he recited</p><p>Yamamoto smiled at him</p><p>"That´s right! Let´s go back to give Lev his things, and then go home and have some rest" the older one said</p><p>Shibayama nodded and they both went back to the gym</p><p>***</p><p>The next day was difficult for the whole team. </p><p>Alisa hadn´t called with the updates, there wasn´t any practice to be distracted with and for the first years, their classes were way too quiet without their phones buzzing due to Lev´s texts or the tall boy´s rambunctious persona. </p><p>And the whispers just didn´t stop. The whole team was now aware of them and when they focused it was easy to hear the hurtful words Lev had been probably hearing for weeks.</p><p>To say it was enraging was falling short.</p><p>And Yaku was barely holding himself.</p><p>"Yaku, calm down. They have done nothing but speak " Kai reminded Yaku when he saw the libero staring at some gossip girls he had heard talking. </p><p>"I know!" Yaku snapped "But Lev has been hearing this for weeks and he was all alone! Now he´s at the hospital and we had to wait for this to happen to actually realize what was happening!" </p><p>Kuroo stared at his friend for a while, with a strange look on his face.</p><p>"The gossip is a mere consequence of misinformation.  Yakkun, I told you you needed some docosahexaenoic acid, but you never listen to me and this is the consequence"</p><p>Yaku frowned</p><p>"What the hell are you talking about ?" </p><p>Kuroo didn´t smile but he seemed slightly amused</p><p>"Bad Yakkun. I thought you smarter" he teased</p><p>"Very funny. Speak now or go away if you are just joking around" Yaku growled, not in the mood for Kuroo´s garbage talk</p><p>"I do not find anything funny in this situation. But I can still think, unlike you" he replied "What I´m trying to say is: All the gossip is caused by misinformation. If you correct the facts or change the font of gossip, the tides can turn smoothly"</p><p>And the smile he was giving was a perilous, predatory smirk. It was the most dangerous variation os his Cheshire cat smile.</p><p>"You know, when you aren´t being an idiot you can come up with some useful idea" Yaku admitted</p><p>Kuroo only nodded in satisfaction</p><p>***</p><p>It was only after classes Kuroo received a call from Alisa.</p><p>He had been walking to the gym when his phone buzzed and at the moment he saw her number on the screen, he grabbed Yaku, who was by his side.</p><p>"Gather everyone and go to the gym. Coach Nekomata and Coach Naoi too, I want everyone there as soon as possible"</p><p>"Wait, wha--"</p><p>"It´s about Lev, Alisa´s calling. Now go!" he ordered, and grinned a bit when Yaku ran as fast as possible towards the school building.</p><p>Then Kuroo answered the phone,</p><p>
  <em>"Hello? Alisa-san?"</em>
</p><p><em>"Kuroo-san! I´m so glad you answered. I was going to call you last night but I fell asleep waiting for Lyovochka´s diagnostic and then I had to go to work"</em> she fastly apologized, and Kuroo could almost see her bowing.</p><p>
  <em>"Alisa-san, it´s fine. It was probably a very large night, so you don´t have to apologize with anyone" he insisted</em>
</p><p><em>"You´re right. I´m sorry"</em> she sniffled <em>"But I was just so worried! I had to be strong for my baby brother but I couldn't speak to anyone and I forgot about you guys and I´m still worried about him!" </em></p><p><em>"What did the doctor said?"</em> Kuroo asked, worried</p><p><em>"Lyovocka is going to be under further observation until tomorrow, to discard brain damage. But he was awake when I last saw him, just a bit tired and, well...uhm,... bruised" </em>Alisa admitted, a bit wary</p><p><em>"There´s something else, isn´t it?"</em> Kuroo asked, suspicious</p><p>There was a quiet moment before she answered</p><p><em>"Yes. Even if he passes observation without incidents, the head damage wasn´t the only one. He had cracked ribs and a grade one sprain on his right ankle, aside from the several bruises and a crack on his facial frontal bone, right up his left eye. The doctor said he´s going to be out for six weeks at least. And only if there are no further complications" </em>she admitted</p><p>The silence that followed was very heavy</p><p>
  <em>"I´ll tell everything to the team. When can we go see him?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The doctor said you can go see him now if you want, but the space given at the Intermediate Care Unit is very limited so only one person can visit at a time. I´ll suggest you wait a day or two for the transference to a single room."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I understand. We´ll be visiting on Saturday noon, then. Is it okay at 1.p.m?</em>
</p><p><em>"That´d be great. Besides, I asked for permission so I´ll have the weekend off. Can you go pick me at my place? I want to visit him to" </em>she asked</p><p>
  <em>"No problem"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, and, Kuroo-san"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Lyovochka wanted me to say: "Thanks for being there". And, as his elder sister, I'm very grateful you took care of my little brother. I won´t forget this, Kuroo-san, and I´m forever indebted to Nekoma´s Volleyball Team"</em>
</p><p>Kuroo felt his chest blossom, but the situation wasn´t very good so he just kept his composture.</p><p>
  <em>"It´s our job to take care of the juniors. See you on Saturday, Alisa-san. Take care of yourself and if you see Lev, tell that big baby he doesn´t need to worry, that us his teammates have it all covered"</em>
</p><p>He heard Alisa smile gently at the other end of the line.</p><p>
  <em>"I´ll tell him that. You take care too, Kuroo-san. See you on Saturday"</em>
</p><p>She hung up the call and Kuro stared at his locked screen for a few seconds.</p><p>"Well, fuck"</p><p>***</p><p>When Kuroo arrived at the gym, he wasn't surprised when all his teammates, including both coaches, turned their heads to see him.</p><p>Chaos was ensured and suddenly everyone was climbing over Kuroo to get some answers</p><p>"What did she said?"</p><p>"Is he okay?"</p><p>"Is he dead?"</p><p>"Can he walk?"</p><p>"Did he fucked his head?"</p><p>"ALL OF YOU, SIT DOWN!" Coach Naoi ordered first, to stop the chaos from the gym. </p><p>Everyone went quiet and Kuroo nodded gratefully.</p><p>"Now, Kuroo, please tell us everything Alisa-chan said. And don´t miss any details" Coach Nekomata asked with a concerned frown</p><p>"Is he going to be okay?" Yaku asked</p><p>"The good news: He is awake and aside from the head injure, which is the reason why he´s going to be under observation for another day or so, there´s nothing so severe"</p><p>"There´s more to it, isn´t it?" Kenma asked, narrowing his eyes</p><p>"Yes, I´m getting to it. The bad news: Cracked ribs, grade one ankle sprain and a cracked facial bone. The doctor said he´s going to be out for at least six weeks. So he won´t be able to play during the next few practice matches nor the next two practice camps"</p><p>There was another heavy silence, and nobody wanted to break it.</p><p>It was heavy.</p><p>And too quiet.</p><p>And some members were expecting to hear Lev´s loud self appearing at the door.</p><p>But it wasn´t going to happen, because Lev was at the hospital. </p><p>"What are we going to do, then?" Shibayama asked loudly, breaking the silence spell</p><p>"We can´t just sit around doing nothing after what they did to Lev!", Inuoka snarled, angry</p><p>"We will not let them walk out of this without kicking their asses!" , Yamamoto threatened, wiggling his fist</p><p>Kuroo sighed again.</p><p>"There are many ways of getting payback" Nekomata suddenly said, surprising them all "Physical retribution is not the only way of turning the tides, but it is punished by the school. So don´t go yelling your plans around or some rightful teacher may hear you" he warned with a dangerous smirk</p><p>The whole team smiled back at him.</p><p>"Alisa-san said we can go visit on Saturday at 1.pm, so we´ll be here at midday and then we´ll pick her up at her place to go to the hospital. Can you help us with the transport, Coach Naoi?" Kuroo requested</p><p>The coach nodded</p><p>"We´ll take care of that, you all just be here on time. There is some business we need to attend, so don´t go planning beat ups or something like that" he announced before gathering his belongings and leaving the gym along with Nekomata, who simply winked at them and left. </p><p>Yaku smiled too</p><p>"What was he referring to, Kuroo-san?" Fukunaga asked, curious.</p><p>"What I was telling Yakkun and Kai before is about the gossip. All these rumours are caused by fake info. So if we just change the font, we may be able to turn the gossip against those who started it"</p><p>"And how are we doing that?" Yamamoto asked, a bit confused</p><p>"We can recover the security footage from the attack. It´s probably just a matter of asking the right person, and people tend to listen to me when I ask politely" Kai admitted with a slightly feline smile (2)</p><p>"If we recover the footage, we can send it to anyone or publish it anywhere, and everyone will know the truth" Yaku said, grinning</p><p>"But who´s able to do that?" Inuoka asked, tilting his head to one side, like a puppy.</p><p>"It´s Kenma-san, isn´t it?" Shibayama suggested, staring at the setter quite intensely.</p><p>Kuroo grinned</p><p>"Bingo!" he said "Kenma here is very good when its about that matter. We can count on him when the time comes"</p><p>Kenma stayed quiet for a bit, but then stared at his team with a predatory look he wore only during the matches against Karasuno.</p><p>"I can send it to anyone or just recover it without permission, actually. Lev can be loud, annoying, clumsy and terribly insistent, but he didn´t deserve what happened to him. And..." Kenma hesitated slightly before his eyes went full with determination "I want payback" </p><p>The team smile and shivered under the setters feline gaze</p><p>"Remember me never getting on your bad side" Shibayama mumbled, amazed and slightly creeped out.</p><p>"I never imagined Kenma-san being so scary", Inuoka said, surprised</p><p>"I kinda knew it, actually" Fukunaga admitted, remembering Kenma and Yamamoto´s discussions on their first year.</p><p>"THAT´S WHAT I´M TALKING ABOUT, DAMMNIT!" Yamamoto roared, all fired up </p><p>"It´s good to see the team so united" Kai celebrated in a calm, gleeful manner,</p><p>"If only they united like this for additional practice" Yaku sulked, a bit annoyed</p><p>Kuroo only laughed</p><p>"We have a great team, that´s for sure"</p><p>Kenma just frowned at the noise</p><p>***</p><p>On Saturday, at twelve-thirty, a big sized van was on his way towards Alisa´s and Lev´s place and all of the Nekoma´s Volleyball Team inside. Some of them had presents for Lev.</p><p>But unlike any other occasion, the van was unnaturally quiet and the silence was as heavy as in a cemetery. Not even Kenma was in the mood of playing some games, so, aside from the other cars outside no one dared to speak a word.</p><p>Coach Nekomata was in the co-pilot seat while Coach Naoi drove. </p><p>Nekomata sighed.</p><p>"If you´re going to be so quiet, you are going to depress Alisa-chan even more. Lev´s not dead so try not to act as if he is" he grumbled.</p><p>They shifted on their sits, a bit uncomfortable with the situation.</p><p>"I heard Alisa-san mentioning how much she likes this band, The Burnout Syndromes. And I, err, bought her a disc as a gift, so we could hear it and surprise her when she comes in" Yaku suggested, his cheeks slightly pink (3)</p><p>"Yaku-san, that´s a great idea!" Inuoka applauded, his eyes sparkling in admiration.</p><p>"Well played, Yakkun. You seem to be very spot on, especially about Alisa-san´s wellbeing" Kuroo commented with a smirk</p><p>Yaku narrowed his eyes at him and Kuroo seemed to notice the imminent danger because he started to sweat.</p><p>"We--well, let´s just hear that music, okay? Coach, please put some music!"</p><p>Coach Nekomata laughed at his student but grabbed the disc Yaku was giving him and soon after the music started to flow from the speakers. </p><p>"Hey, I´ve heard that song!" Shibayama said "It has a studio version, but it was chosen to be played by an orchestra at the opening for the Spring High" </p><p>"Pff, what a nerd" Yamamoto mocked</p><p>Shibayama blushed in embarrassment</p><p>"Yamamoto, laugh at Shibayama again and I´ll have Fukunaga throwing another water bucket at you" Yaku threatened with a smirk (4)</p><p>It was now Yamamoto´s turn to blush.</p><p>"Yaku-san! You promised you wouldn´t mention it again!" he complained, embarrassed due to Fukunaga´s unusual laugh.</p><p>"Fukunaga-san did? What happened?" Inuoka asked Yaku</p><p>"Well--"</p><p>"It´s not necessary to re-tell" a voice suddenly interrupted Yaku. Kenma was now looking at him, with a sort of shy gaze "It´s in the past, isn´t it?"</p><p>"You tell´em, Kenma!" </p><p>"Yamamoto, shut up!"</p><p>The banter, snarky comments and laughter soon returned at his full and both coaches smiled at their student´s antics. </p><p>It didn´t take too long after that to arrive at Lev´s place, and when they did she was already waiting for them at the entrance. She had something grey in her arms, but it wasn´t very clear from afar. </p><p>Coach Nekomata stepped off the van to greet her.</p><p>"Good afternoon, coach!" she greeted with a small bow.</p><p>"No need to be so formal, Alisa-chan" he smiled at her "We´ll be there in no time"</p><p>She smiled at him when he opened the van door for her, and she smiled even more at the sight of the whole team</p><p>"Hello, boys!" she greeted </p><p><em>&lt;&lt;Her smile is as wide as Lev´s&gt;&gt; </em>Yaku thought</p><p>"Hello!" they greeted back. Coach Nekomata entered the van and closed the door, so now Naoi had started the car again.</p><p>"Alisa-san, here. This spot is free" Inuoka offered, signalling the place next to him</p><p>"Thanks, Sou-kun. You´re a sweet boy" she thanked, and Inuoka blushed at her smile</p><p><em>&lt;&lt;She´s so beautiful&gt;&gt;</em> he thought</p><p>"Ehm, Alisa-san" Yaku called "What´s that in you arms?" he asked, pointing at the grey furry object on her arms</p><p>"Oh, him? It´s just Lyovochka´s cat, Siniy" she answered.</p><p>"It´s the cat from the Cat Cafe!" Shibayama noticed a bit surprised</p><p>"Yes! The cat liked us a lot so we kept it, but it was mostly at my little brother´s insistence.  He said since they were both so alike leaving it was like leaving his brother" she laughed spreading her arms towards Yaku "Doesn´t he looks just like Lyovochka?" she asked Yaku with a beaming smile</p><p>Yaku blinked a bit, staring at the cat. It had big, green eyes just like Lev´s and, form some reason, the cat´s hairstyle was just like the middle blocker´s. The similarity was unnerving, and the cat seemed to be analyzing him to, so Yaku felt judged. </p><p>"Uhm, yeah. I can see the resemblance" Yaku admitted.</p><p>The cat yawned and shook his little head, stirring in Alisa´s hands. She put him down, curious, and the cat simply walked towards Yaku and snuggled on his lap.</p><p>"Oh, it seems he likes you too! Try scratching his fur" she suggested</p><p>Yaku, a bit doubtful, scratch the cat´s back and soon the little animal had started purring.</p><p>"Definitely just like Lev" Kuroo joked, and Yaku would´ve hit him if the cat hadn´t been on his lap.</p><p>The whole team laughed, and Kenma smiled amused.</p><p>***</p><p>When they arrived at the hospital the atmosphere hadn´t lowered down.</p><p>The team stepped out of the van but coach Nekomata stopped them first. </p><p>"Alisa-chan and I will go first to make the request. Coach Naoi will go behind you all so no one gets lost. I want you all to behave!" he warned.</p><p>They walked as a group towards the hospital doors but the people around gave them questioning looks. It was a very peculiar and quite loud group indeed.</p><p>They entered reception and Alisa walked along with Nekomata towards the secretary at the desk. Naoi made gestures for them to sit and awkwardly they occupied most of the available seats. A few members (Yamamoto) were as loud as usual, but the gazes other people gave them didn´t pass unnoticed.                                    </p><p>One lady pulled her daughter closer.</p><p>"Hello!" Alisa greeted the secretary "We are here to visit Haiba Lev. He was admitted here a few days ago and is now in a single room"</p><p>She eyed the volleyball team suspiciously </p><p>"Are you family?" the secretary asked</p><p>"I´m his big sister"</p><p>"And you, sir?" she asked the coach</p><p>"I´m his coach from school. As you can see, the whole team wanted to visit Lev so I came with them" he smiled</p><p>She nodded, wary, and checked some archives on her computer.</p><p>"He´s on the third floor, room 306" she answered</p><p>"Thank you!" Alisa said and walked towards the boys.</p><p>They all stood up at her.</p><p>"He´s on the third floor, We´ll divide into two groups, and once we finish the other will enter. Coach Naoi will stay with the second group" Coach Nekomata said</p><p>"Nekomata-sensei, Kuroo-san, Kenma-kun, Sou-kun, Yuuki-kun and Morisuke-kun will come with me to the first group. I´ll come back and accompany the second group later" she stated</p><p>"I´ll take care of them, so you don´t need to worry", Coach Naoi said, worried at the loud players.</p><p>She nodded at him and walked towards the elevator, and the small group went right behind her. </p><p>They arrived on the third floor and after finding room 306 they stopped at the door. Through the glass, they could see Lev, who appeared to be sleeping.</p><p>"I´ll enter first to see if he´s awake. Who wants to go in first?" she asked</p><p>"I will go first", Coach Nekomata said "I believe he´ll feel safer if his teacher and senpai are there with him, so Kuroo and Yaku will come with me"</p><p>Alisa nodded and gently knocked on the door before entering.</p><p>"Lyocochka?" she called in a low, gentle voice "Lyovochka, are you awake?"</p><p>Lev groaned in response. His big body was laying on the white sheets and his normally pale arms contrasted a lot with the bruises adorning his skin. His head was wrapped in a white bandage and his left eye was covered in gauze, but the green purplish bruise was very visible either way. His right ankle was also lifted and on a cast, and his leg also seemed a bit bruised.</p><p>For someone as big as him, his frame looked way too small and the bed looked way too big.</p><p>It was unnerving.</p><p>"<em>Moy mladshiy brat</em>, I know you´re up. Your senpai are here to see you" she called again (5)</p><p>Lev groaned again but made an effort and opened his right eye. His look lighted up and he beamed them a smile.</p><p>"Yaku-san, Kuroo-san, Coach! Is great to see you all!" he greeted, happy, sitting on his bed. His voice seemed off and sore, but that didn't keep him quiet.</p><p>Coach Nekomata smiled at him</p><p>"Is good to see you too, Lev" he said with a gentle face</p><p>"I´ll wait outside with the others. See you later, Lyovochka" </p><p>"See you later, <em>sestra" </em> he responded (6)</p><p>Alisa left the room, leaving Coach, Kuroo and Yaku</p><p>"What happened with your voice?" Yaku asked</p><p>Lev blinked, a little surprised by the question.</p><p>"It's sore. The doctor said is normally caused due to excessive screaming, but I can´t remember screaming so much" he explained a bit guilty.</p><p>The three other members shifted, awkward.</p><p>"Well, Lev, I wanted to know how were you and I now know you are fine, so I´ll be waiting outside" Nekomata suddenly announced "Is good to see you, kid" he admitted before leaving.</p><p>Lev only smiled at him.</p><p>He then turned towards Kuroo and Yaku.</p><p>"How´s everyone?" he asked in concern</p><p>Kuroo snorted, sourly amused</p><p>"You keep asking for everyone when you are the one who looks like shit"</p><p>Lev flinched a little and Kuroo mentally hit himself.</p><p>"Well, they are the ones who got threatened. I did what I could, but I have been out for a few days" he said, a bit down "And I know Alisa is not doing so good, either. She keeps calm and kind when I´m around so I don´t worry, but I can see she´s tired. I can see you are both tired, too" Lev admitted</p><p>Both third years shared a surprised look.</p><p>"We are all perfectly fine. Is not us who got beat to a pulp, Lev" Yaku answered in a firm, kind voice</p><p>Lev nodded happily</p><p>"I don´t think anyone could beat you to a pulp, Yaku-san. You may be short, but you are very strong too" the Russian boy giggled in a smile</p><p>Yaku smiled too, giving him a playful slap on his good leg</p><p>"You keep babbling stupidities even at the hospital. I´m impressed" Kuroo joked, and smiled even more when Lev laughed too. </p><p>But then Lev grabbed his ribs, wincing in pain</p><p>"What´s wrong?" Yaku questioned, worried</p><p>"My ribs are cracked, so laughing hurts a bit. Men, I can´t wait to get back to practice already" Lev complained, lying down in his bed again</p><p>"You can´t, Lev" Yaku firmly emphasised "You are going to be out for at least six weeks"</p><p>Lev seemed to shift in anger</p><p>"I can do it in five" he mumbled</p><p>Yaku seemed angry at the comment "What will we do if you can´t play because you just couldn´t wait? Do you want to worsen you injures, you moron?"</p><p>"Please don´t insult me!" Lev requested in a sudden shout "I don´t like it especially coming from you, Yaku-san"</p><p>Yaku quieted again, surprised by his kohai´s small outburst</p><p>"It didn´t bother you before" Kuroo mouthed, narrowing his eyes</p><p>Lev seemed to deflate a little more and he suddenly looked smaller than he should</p><p>"That was before, Kuroo-san" he muttered with a sad face "But after they kept insulting me at every hit, well, I don´t really appreciate them. And I know Yaku-san doesn´t mean ill but just can´t help it because it reminds me of <em>him</em>. And I just want everything to go back to normal and keep practising with the team, and I know Yaku-san not insulting me is not normal, but it´s difficult! So I just want to practise with everyone and keep on with my life like always. I won't even complain at receiving, Yaku-san, but please don´t leave me out of this" Lev sobbed, now tears streaming down his face "Please don´t leave me alone!" he begged, crying.</p><p>Both third years were surprised at their crying kohai. That wasn´t supposed to happen, Lev over all people wasn´t supposed to cry. He was supposed to smile and annoy them and beg for spikes.</p><p>He shouldn´t be crying so loud. Not sobbing. </p><p>But Yaku and Kuroo realized Lev had to do it.</p><p>They had noticed, on their brief time, how Lev kept up the facade in front of his sister and, probably thinking "as an ace", the tallboy hadn´t let himself cry all this out. </p><p>Yaku, like the worrywart he was, sat besides Lev and hugged him tightly, brushing his silky hair.</p><p>"It´s alright, Lev. Just let it all out" he gently commanded</p><p>And Lev, in very un-like Lev manner, listened to Yaku.</p><p>And he sobbed loudly, weeping and whimpering, letting the tears flow.</p><p>He cried and didn´t stop until they completely stopped flowing.</p><p>After what it felt like an eternity, Lev quieted down, whipping his wet cheeks.</p><p>"Sorry about that" he sniffled</p><p>"Don´t, Lev. You needed to take it out" Kuroo objected</p><p>"We are all here, Lev" Yaku muttered gently "We are not leaving you alone, okay? Not as long as I´m here" he claimed, rubbing the boys back.</p><p>"I know" he smiled "I don´t remember everything very well, but I know you were there, Yaku-san. I know you stayed until Alisa arrived, and I know you kept me safe. That´s why I know everything will be fine as long as you are here. You are our libero, after all. Is your job to protect our back, and you are the best at it. Right, Yaku-san?" Lev giggled, amused at Yaku´s face.</p><p>The libero´s face was red and he didn´t seem to know what to answer (7)</p><p>"Well, I--uh, of course, I do, you moron! That´s why I, uhm, I´m here for--!" Yaku blurted out.</p><p>"He knows it, Yaku-san. Try to keep appearances" Kuroo taunted, also amused</p><p>Yaku hit him again</p><p>"I thought I had told you to shut up" he scowled at his captain.</p><p>Lev laughed at his senpai antics, feeling perfectly in peace.</p><p>"I think we should tell Inuoka and Shibayama to come in. They have been waiting for a while and if we take to long, Yamamoto may set this place on fire" Kuroo jested playfully</p><p>"Oh, it´s fine, then. I wanted to talk to them too" Lev confessed, sheepishly </p><p>"We´ll be taking our leave, then", Kuroo said, heading towards the door "Oh, and Lev" he called</p><p>"Yes?" </p><p>"Everything will be fixed once you return. So don´t sweat it too much, okay?"</p><p>He stayed quiet a few seconds, staring at Kuroo. The bedhead captain held his kohai´s analytical gaze, after which Lev nodded in understanding.</p><p>After ruffling the boy's hair, Yaku stood up after Kuroo, who had already left the room.</p><p>"Yaku-san" Lev called before Yaku left</p><p>"What?" </p><p>Lev´s eyes didn´t hesitate at all</p><p>"Thank you for everything. I will never forget this" he declared, firmly</p><p>Yaku smiled at him</p><p>"Anytime, Lev"</p><p>***</p><p>Once they left the floor after Shibayama and Inuoka cried their eyes out in front of a touched yet confused Lev, Kuroo finally breathed, tired.</p><p>This whole situation was very difficult, but it was worst after seeing Lev crying like that. And Yaku´s expression had been painful, too. </p><p>Kuroo ached for vengeance and the small revenge he had thought off no longer seemed enough.</p><p>Suddenly, his phone buzzed and Kuroo was surprised at the name on the screen.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <strong>INCOMING CALL</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>xxx-xxx-x69</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>FROM: OWL-HEAD</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"What the hell?" he muttered, puzzled. He answered "Oho?"</p><p><em>"O HO HO? KUROOOOO!" </em>the other hollered<em> "I HEARD ABOUT LEV. IS HE OKAY? CAN HE STILL PLAY? DID HE DIED?!"</em></p><p>"Calm down, dumbass!" Kuroo yelled back "Who told you?"</p><p><em>"Hinata did!"</em> Bokuto happily chirped<em> "He said Kenma told him and then he told Tsukishima who for some reason told Akaashi, who didn´t tell me. I had to wait for Hinata´s call and I wanted to call before but I forgot"</em> the captain admitted</p><p><em>"Well, that was slower than I expected" </em>Kuroo sneered at his friend</p><p><em>"Shut up! It wasn´t my fault, it was yours for not telling me. AND I´M FROM THE THIRD GYM SQUAD, SO LEV´S UNDER MY CARE TOO!" </em>he loudly pointed out</p><p>Kuroo couldn't help but snort</p><p><em>"Bro, what the hell are you talking about?"</em> he questioned, amused</p><p><em>"I´m talking about the Tokyo training camp! We all practised at the third gym and we practised together, so I decided to call us the Third Gym Squad!" </em>he affirmed, sure of himself <em>"Cool, isn't it?"</em></p><p>"Yeah, it sure is" Kuroo sniggered </p><p><em>"So, how is he?"</em> Bokuto aksed in genuine concern</p><p>"Not so good. He won't be playing at least six weeks" Kuroo confessed</p><p>"<em>Shit</em>" </p><p>"Yeah. Is really fucked up"</p><p>
  <em>"Is there anything I can do?"</em>
</p><p>"Not really, just be there and give suppor--" Kuroo started, but then he stopped, thinking about something.</p><p><em>"WHAT WAS THAT?</em> "Bokuto yammered</p><p>"Don´t yell at my ear, you stupid owl!" the cat captain replied, annoyed "I was about to say there <em>is</em> something you can help me with"</p><p><em>"What is it? What is it?" </em>the other captain insisted to know</p><p>"We cats are doing something for ourselves but I don´t feel like it is enough. So I need you to call Akaashi" Kuroo smirked</p><p>Bokuto was loudly hooting</p><p><em>"I´LL DO IT, I´LL DO IT!" </em>he hooted, happy to help <em>"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?"</em></p><p>Kuroo grinned like a cat to a mouse</p><p>"We´ll be paying someone a small visit"</p><hr/><p>EXPLANATION:</p><p>(1): It´s a reference to manga chapter 199 when Kuroo reassures Shibayama after replacing Yaku against Nohebi. It´s on the OVA 4, Land vs Sky. If you haven´t, go check it out, it´s great and Lev takes an important role, which is even better.</p><p>(2): Knowing Kai´s personality it may be slightly out of character, but I feel like it´s his way of peacefully make up for what Hisato did. Is not violent at all, so I´ll just leave it like that</p><p>(3): Just in case you didn´t get the reference, The Burnout Syndromes is an actual band who was in charge of Haikyuu´s openings 4, 5 and 6, Fly High, Hikari Are and Phoenix. The song being played on the radio was Phoenix, op 6, and during the Spring High opening, an orchestral version of this song was played. Really great. In case you still don´t recognize them, they also were in charge of Dr Stone´s first opening, Good Morning World. It´s a great band, probably should go check it.</p><p>(4). It still hasn´t been shown in the anime so it´s technically a spoiler, but during their first year Yamamoto and Kenma got into a heated fight and our underappreciated blessed boy Fukunaga threw a water bucket at them. Seriously, let´s give the boy more appreciation, he deserves it. I mean, look at his double save against Nohebi! Great times man, great times.</p><p>(5): Moy mladshiy brat or мой младший брат it means "My little brother"</p><p>(6) Sestra or сестра means "Sister"</p><p>(7) Try to imagine Kageyama´s expression after Hinata´s compliment, but in Yaku´s face. Hilarious, isn´t it?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you have a similar idea for me to write a one-shot or a small fic like this one, leave it in the comments and I´ll see what I can do about this.<br/>Bokuto, Tsukki, Hinata and Akaashi will appear next chapter. 3rd Gym Squad on action, baby!<br/>I have to apologize to, this came up longer than expected.<br/>I´ll be uploading the next chapter soon, so please have patience!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Aftermaths</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After reaching the top and receiving the cheer from the crowd, is now time to rest.<br/>The whole team is tired, and so you are.<br/>Your body is sore and your muscles ache.<br/>But once you get home and rest, you are aware of how much you love this.<br/>And with your teammates by your side, there´s nothing else you´d like to do.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Final chapter, yay!<br/>Or not yay since, well, it´s over.<br/>This took longer than expected because originally it was just going to be a one-shot but I got too long and ideas started to come in so I had to write more.<br/>I really hope you´ve like this!<br/>Thank you for reading! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took two hours for the visit to finish.</p><p>At the moment Alisa said goodbye to Lev, the boy had already grown a bit tired and everyone noticed the effort he was doing at staying awake. When everyone left, the boy´s room was full of gifts the team had bought for him.  </p><p>And he fell asleep with a smile on his face.</p><p>Alisa thanked them deeply and after grabbing a slept Siniy from Yaku´s lap, she entered her place.</p><p>After that, everyone decided to just go home and rest for what was left of the day.</p><p>Monday was going to be a busy day. </p><p>***</p><p>"Our teammate was attacked in school grounds, sir. And he was last seen entering the school building; I believe that is a reason valid enough to allow us to check the security footage" Kai calmly  explained</p><p>It was the first hour in the morning on Monday, and after arriving at school, he had gone straight to the principal´s office. </p><p>Apparently he hadn´t known about the incident until Kai mentioned it and, under the boy´s soft words and well-known reputation of being a pacific, hard-working student, the principal had gladly provided the third year with a copy of the security footage after checking it himself.</p><p>"I know you are right, Kai" the principal agreed "But I must tell you, is not easy to see. If you really are so close to your underclassman, it will be hard to watch" he warned</p><p>Kai swallowed a bit but didn´t give in to his quiet insistence.</p><p>"I´m aware of it, sir, but I believe is for the best" he assured</p><p>The principal sighed</p><p>"I assume you and the rest of the volleyball team want to take care of this by your own hands" he inquired, curious</p><p>"We do have an issue we want to fix, sir, but any help the school can provide will be more than welcome" Kai affirmed. </p><p>"We won´t intervene against you or your team as long as you don´t break any rules, Kai" he warned "The moment you require school intervention, come ask me and we´ll deal with Hisato-kun. But don´t disappoint me. I´m trusting you with this one, so make it worth it" </p><p>Kai gave him a gentle smile</p><p>"Thank you very much, sir" he bowed, thankful</p><p>The principal smiled him back</p><p>"Have a nice day, Kai. And now go to class, it´s getting late"</p><p>Kai nodded and left the principal´s office with a determined grin. Once in the men toilet, he took out his phone and quickly texted Kuroo.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Kai</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Kuroo</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">Subject</span>: Mission 1</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I got the copy</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> Mission 1: Clear! (1)</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo smiled at his phone. </p><p>"By your creepy smile, I assume Kai got what he wanted" Yaku commented at his friend "What´s next, then?"</p><p>"It´s up to Inuoka and Shibayama. Their job is a bit easier, but it depends on them whether this works or not" the cat captain admitted, a bit serious</p><p>"I can go help them later" Yaku offered in concern</p><p>Kuroo nodded but the bell rang so they had to stand up to greet the teacher.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Shibayama was nervous.</p><p>After offering himself to "help with the coordination of the cultural festival", which would take place in three more weeks, Shibayama had managed to gather all the schedules from all the first years' classes and had copied them in paper to hand them to Inuoka.</p><p>Even if his friend wasn´t the smartest of the bucket, he could come up with some good ideas</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>"What if we do it during informatics?" his friend suggested, "Everyone takes classes at that time, so everyone will be able to watch the tape!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Shibayama smiled at him, surprised</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"That´s actually a great idea, Inuoka!" he felicitated "You´re a genius!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Inuoka´s eyes sparkled and Shibayama had to look away from his beaming smile, under the risk of getting blind</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you!"</em>
</p><p> </p><p>But now Shibayama <em>was</em> in charge of coordinating the schedules for the cultural festival, so every other delegate from the other classes were coming to him and making requests, asking for very specific situations and loading him with more work. And to be honest, Shibayama was completely lost.</p><p>His partner from class 5 had left for a while so now everyone who was supposed to be asking her was asking him.</p><p>To make things worse, he had also been commissioned with coordinating with class 2 so all the time he spent talking with their delegate he felt Hisato´s gaze on his own neck, making him uncomfortable. </p><p>After being dismissed, the libero left the class and sighed in relief</p><p>"Shibayama!" someone shouted behind him</p><p>He turned around in time to see a tall, happy, known figure quickly approaching him.</p><p>"Inuoka?"</p><p>The boy stopped just in time not to collide, but Shibayama stepped back in precaution</p><p>"Guess what?" the taller aked "I offered to help with the festival to! I supposed you´d be busy with this so I wanted to help and they took me in at the moment. And I´m in charge of coordinating with class 3, so we can work together!" </p><p>Shibayama stared at him in silence and then smiled him warmly</p><p>"That helps a lot. You´re very kind, Inuoka" he praised, meaning every word</p><p>His friend´s eyes went big and shined like the sun, almost like a pup who had been offered a treat</p><p>"For you, anything!" he gleefully stated, patting Shibayama´s shoulder "We have to go to you class next, so come with me"</p><p>"Wait, I need to text Yaku-san first", he said, taking out his phone to tell Yaku about their idea</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Shibayama</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Yaku-san</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">Subject</span>: Mission 2</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>We found the best time! It´s Wednesday after lunch. Every first-year is in the informatics class, so everyone will have a screen in front.</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>P.D: It was Inuoka´s idea! </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> Mission 2: Clear! </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>He then put his phone down and smiled back at the expecting Inuoka</p><p>"Let´s go, then" he offered, and his friend only nodded at him, happy</p><p>They both walked together to their respective class.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>"It´s actually a good idea, but Hisato´s presence bothers me" Yaku commented, worried "I don´t want him near when it happens, so he doesn´t get the chance to speak or do anything about it"</p><p>"It´s a good precaution" Kuroo conceded "But what can we do about it? We can´t control what he does"</p><p>"Oh, I know!" Inuoka claimed, raising his hand "We could ask him to leave for a moment!"</p><p>The Volleyball team had gathered during the lunch break in the rooftop, to escape from eavesdroppers or unrequested guests, and were now discussing the schedule proposed by both first years.</p><p>Inuoka was completely oblivious to his teammates amused, worried and sarcastic stares</p><p>"What?" he asked, tilting his head to the side</p><p>&lt;&lt;He actually thinks it may work&gt;&gt; Yamamoto snorted, mocking his underclassman</p><p>"Anyone else?" Kenma asked, ignoring Inuoka´s suggestion</p><p>The boy deflated a little and bowed his head, depressed, whilst Shibayama patted his back in comfort</p><p>"What if-" Fukunaga started, surprising everyone "'-he is accidentally seen by the principal when he´s about to hit someone?"</p><p>Kai stared at him, concerned by his suggestion</p><p>"Is not a bad idea, but who would be the "someone"? " Kenma asked, frowning "I don´t think anyone would offer to that, and we can´t just involve any student that passes by"</p><p>Kuroo grinned mischievously, sending shivers down everyone´s body.</p><p><em>&lt;&lt;Ugh. I hate it when he smiles like that&gt;&gt;</em> Kenma thought, walking away from his friend.</p><p>"It wouldn´t be <em>any</em> student", the captain remarked " We need someone fierce, who gets easily angered and also easy to provoke. Someone <em>very </em> loud, who refuses to obey and never steps back" </p><p>When Yamamoto lifted his head to see why his teammates had gone suddenly quiet, he met with seven pair of eyes who were staring at him like some kind of exotic bird.</p><p>It was uncomfortable </p><p>"What, is there a problem with my face?" he snarled, shifting under the intense gazes.</p><p>Kai sighed, heavily</p><p>"I´m more concerned that Yamamoto doesn´t end up in the principal´s office. I promised him we wouldn´t cause problems, and he doesn´t have the best reputation"</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>"Well, he´s not wrong"</p><p>"I HEARD THAT!"</p><p>"I could go with him" Fukunaga offered "We always spend lunch together anyway, and I can make sure he doesn´t go overboard. Besides, I have a good <em>meow, </em>so words are not a problem" he laughed, amused at his own joke</p><p>"It´s decided, then" Yaku declared, concerned by Fukunaga´s sense of humour "You and Yamamoto will take care of Mission 4"</p><p>"I´ll finish with my part today, so don´t worry about it", Kenma shrugged, already tired by the sleepless night awaiting at home</p><p>Kuroo smiled at him, sympathetically</p><p>"Don´t mind"</p><p>The bell rang and they had to run to get to their classes </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Before starting afternoon classes, Coach Nekomata had told him to skip practice because he "looked even more pale and tired than usual", and so the setter had been quickly dismissed.</p><p>After which Kenma had bowed gratefully and had gone home earlier than expected, arriving at 4.p.m</p><p>"I´m home" he greeted, closing the door behind him</p><p>"Kenma, is that you?" his mother asked, surprised at seeing him early, "I thought you had afternoon practice, what happened?"</p><p>Kenma yawned</p><p>"Coach told me to go home because he said I looked pale and tired" he mumbled, rubbing his eye</p><p>His mom frowned in concern and was quick in taking his bag and jacket.</p><p>"You are a bit warm, too" she murmured in concern, after placing her hand on his cheek "Well, go to your room and sleep until tomorrow if you have to" she ordered, kissing him on the forehead "I won't have my son getting sick because he didn´t rest enough at home"</p><p>"Actually, I have an essay I have to finish for tomorrow, so I´ll be working in my room until I finish", Kenma said</p><p>He normally didn´t like it when she fussed all over him, but in this case, it was not only heartwarming but also very convenient and could be used to his own advantage.</p><p>The fact that he didn´t complain about her made his mom even more determined </p><p>"Then go and hurry so you can finish quickly" she ordered "I´ll take you some riceballs later"</p><p>"Thanks, mom" he murmured, walking towards his room.</p><p>He knew his mom wouldn´t interrupt him at all, and he stretched a bit before sitting in front of his computer</p><p>There was a lot of work to do </p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>It was dark outside when Kenma finally looked away from his screen. It had been very difficult, to say the least, and his muscles were very stiff from being so still for many hours.</p><p>After checking his screen´s clock, Kenma realized he had been working for six hours straight, with only a break to use the toilet once. He had been aware of his mom leaving a small dish with three riceballs on it, but she had quickly left after seeing him so focused on his work.</p><p>His screen had a very satisfying message in the middle</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>ARCHIVE DOWNLOADED SUCCESSFULLY, PLEASE REMOVE USB</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Kenma smiled, proud of himself. It was the last archive he could ever download to that USB because that, plus the programs previously installed, had completely ended the memory available, and yes, it had been difficult, but Kenma felt like he had just beaten the main boss in one of his RPGs. </p><p>Rough, but worth it.</p><p>He stood from his chair and stretched while walking around the room. He grabbed one of his mom´s rice balls and after taking a bite he took his phone to send a text.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Kenma</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Kuroo</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">Subject</span>: Mission 3</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>I finished my job. I´m sending you a copy just in case</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> Mission 3, clear</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>P.D: Thx for the game</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Kenma then dropped in his bed, closing his eyes for a moment. He was tired, but still had one more thing to do.</p><p>He stretched to grab his bag, and then took out the new <em>F</em><em>inal Haikyuu! Quest</em> (2) Kuroo had bought for him as payment for his work. Kenma had been aching to buy it for a while but had spent his money on the last Zelda release, so it had been a no-deal. And then Kuroo had just simply handed him the disc for the Haikyuu Quest game and the setter hadn´t felt so excited about something since the last match against Karasuno</p><p>He had known it since the morning.</p><p>Kenma wasn't going to sleep before finishing his work.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>Tuesday went without further problems. Everything was quiet, and aside from the rumours that had gone all over the ceiling due to Lev´s sudden absence, it had been a relatively calm and peaceful day.</p><p>For the Volleyball team, it was the calm before the storm.</p><p>This is why, after classes, they decided to visit Lev, who had been discharged on Sunday.</p><p>"Hey, its good to see you all here!", Lev laughed, happy to see them "It was getting boring"</p><p>The young Russian still had a white bandage around his head, a gauze over his eye and was using crutches to walk because of his sprain, but overall looked much better than last time.</p><p>He seemed way less tired and his bruises had gotten a better colour, so apparently his recovery was going great.</p><p>"We had to come see you. Akane hasn't stopped asking about you since she found out what happened. It's getting annoying" Yamamoto huffed</p><p>"Of course she'd ask about me. I'm the ace!", Lev declared with pride</p><p>"Call yourself an ace once you've learnt how to receive, dumbass" Yamamoto growled, slapping his shoulder.</p><p>Siniy, who had been sleeping until then, meowed at Yamamoto, slightly annoyed</p><p>"I´m still wondering how did you found those crutches", Shibayama loudly wandered, signalling the crutches next to the sofa</p><p>Lev laughed at his friend´s question</p><p>"It was very difficult to find them!" he giggled "Apparently the normal size is for smaller people so we had to look around quite a lot to find some I could use"</p><p>"It´s weird, though", Alisa said, walking from the kitchen with a tray full of small brown balls "Back in Russia it wasn´t that difficult, so even dad didn´t have problems finding some of his size. But here it was impossible!"</p><p>"What is that?" Yamamoto asked, hungry</p><p>"It´s <em>kartoshka </em>" she answered "Our aunt made us a lot and since you´re all here, we can share them" she offered (3)</p><p>"Wait, Lev, if your father already had crutches, why didn´t you used them?" Kuroo asked, curious</p><p>Alisa laughed </p><p>"Our father is still taller than Lyovochka, so his crutches were too big to use"</p><p><em>&lt;&lt;Oh, crap, he still can grow&gt;&gt;</em> they all thought in unison</p><p>"It´s still boring" Lev whined, grabbing three kartoshka balls "I can barely walk by myself and studying is boring so there isn´t much I can do"</p><p>"It´ll be fine, Lev" Yaku reassured, ruffling the Russian´s hair "We´ll be here, so don´t rush or you´ll have to wait longer"</p><p>Lev beamed at him, shining like the sun</p><p>"Is not im<em>paw</em>sible to wait either" Fukunaga joked.</p><p>Both Lev and Alisa laughed at the pun, while the team stared at Fukunaga in concern</p><p>The evening went by fast, and soon after the sun started to set, which meant the team had to go home already. </p><p>Before leaving, Yaku turned to stare at Lev.</p><p>"You´re very brave, Lev" Yaku sated "You honour your name and I´m proud of being your teammate"</p><p>Lev´s eyes widen and they became teary, but the tears didn´t fall</p><p>"Thanks a lot, Yaku-san! I won´t disappoint you!" he thanked, bowing </p><p>Yaku smiled softly and ruffled his hair again before leaving</p><p>&lt;&lt;I don´t think you could even if you try&gt;&gt; Yaku thought, closing the Haiba´s door behind him. </p><p>It had been a nice evening, and walking along with his teammates, Yaku knew everyone had reinforced the feeling of vengeance in their hearts.</p><p>Lev had smiled a lot, but in some cases, his smile strained or his knuckles went white due to his own strength. He wasn´t complaining, but they could all see how difficult it was for him to stay at home and do as he was told.</p><p>They saw the longing in his eyes and the sadness on his expression</p><p>Tomorrow the cats were getting payback.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p> </p><p>"Fukunaga" </p><p>"Hmm?"</p><p>"We need to talk about your sense of humour"</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>Wednesday started with a stiff morning practice. Even Kuroo wasn´t paying too much attention and everyone kept making very dumb mistakes, so Coach Nekomata simply dismissed them earlier than usual.</p><p>The Volleyball Club had made a temporary chat to finish polishing the final details of the whole ordeal, and during the first period, they dedicated completely to it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has created Revenge Chat</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has added Yakkun, Kai, Fukunaga, Yamamoto, Kenma, Shibayama and Inuoka</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has changed Yakkun to Docosahexaenoic Acid</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has changed Fukunaga to PleaseLearnSomeJokes</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has changed Yamamoto to LoudBastard69</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has Kai to BestVice</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has changed Kenma to 100%Done</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has changed Shibayama to WorriedPup</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>CatCaptain has changed Inuoka to HappyPup </strong>
</p><p> </p><p><strong> LoudBastard69: </strong>what the fuck?</p><p><strong>Cat Captain: </strong>Language, Tora. Kids r watching</p><p><strong>BestVice: </strong>I thought we didn´t have to coordinate anymore. Kuroo, why did you created this chat?</p><p><strong>100%Done</strong>: Because he´s an idiot</p><p>
  <strong>                                                                                               100%Done has left the chat </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>                                                                                           CatCaptain has added 100%Done</strong>
</p><p><strong>100%Done: </strong>Kuroo no</p><p><strong>CatCaptain:  </strong>Kuroo yes</p><p><strong>PleaseLearnSomeJokes:</strong> I dont like my name</p><p><strong>LoudBastarrd69: </strong>dont mind, i can teach u some gr8 jks </p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid: </strong>That worries me more, Yamamoto stay away from Fukunaga</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>dont stress so much or you'll get more wrinkles</p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid:</strong> I don´t have wrinkles</p><p><strong>WorriedPup: </strong>Aren´t we suppose to be in class?</p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid: </strong>Kuroo you should follow your kohai example and be responsibel</p><p><strong>CatCaptain.</strong> but this is important! We gotta aveng our little skcycraper</p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid: </strong>That literally makes no sense</p><p><strong>CatCaptain:</strong> is because you dont have enough docosahexaenoic acid</p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid: </strong>How come you write that perfectly and still suck at proper grammar?</p><p><strong>100%Done: </strong>It´s on his phone dictionary</p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid: </strong>That explains it</p><p><strong>BestVice: </strong>I think we should just discuss the matter this chat was created</p><p><strong>Docosahexaenoic Acid: </strong>I agree with Kai. Kuroo, start explaing and for gods sake <em>c h a n g   m  y  n a m e</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>CatCaptain has changed DocosahexaenoicAcid to AngryMom</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p><strong>AngryMom:  </strong>just explain</p><p><strong>HappyPup: </strong>HeLLLO evRYN, HOWS UR CLASS!!!</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>Inuoka, turn your caps off your 2 loud</p><p><strong>HappyPup: </strong>i jUst did</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>Inuoka you pay attention to your class or you´ll fail your test again</p><p><strong>HappyPup: </strong>bUt i wanna hlp</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>Leave it Yakkun, the boy has enthusiasm</p><p><strong>AngryMom:</strong> You don´t pass with enthusiasm</p><p><strong>LoudBastard69: </strong>ROUGH</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>You stfu, your lower grades are on a whole new record</p><p><strong>PleaseLearnSomeJokes: </strong>Now hes mad</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>Hes an agry mom </p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>Kuroo i swear to god if you don´t explain i´ll throw my book to your sutpid hair</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>S T A Y   A W A Y</p><p><strong>LoudBastard69: </strong>SAVGE YAKU S THE BEAST</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>Yamamoto shut up you sound like an idiot</p><p><strong>HappyPup: </strong>wHat did ww ha 2 do?</p><p><strong>BestVice:</strong> Kuroo, explain</p><p><strong>BestVice: </strong>Now</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>Yeah yeah, I know. It´s abt who´ll go call the principal when @<em>LoudBastard69</em> starts the fight</p><p><strong>HappyPup:</strong> i cand o it í´m fast!!</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>No, you and Shibayama sit down and stay away from problems</p><p><strong>HappyPup: </strong>bt i wanna be usful for the teamm :(</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>We´ll be less worried if we know you two are safe</p><p><strong>WorriedPup: </strong>Don´t worry, Inuoka, I´ll stay with you.</p><p><strong>HappyPup: </strong>Thnks a lot shiabyama yOur da besyt :-D</p><p><strong>WorriePup: </strong>I´ll keep him out of trouble, Yaku-san, don´t worry for us</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>Thnks Shibayama, you´re a great kohai.</p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong><em>Someone</em> should learn from you</p><p><strong>CatCaptain: </strong>Yeah, I get it, shut up</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p><em> <strong>                                                                             CatCaptain has erased</strong> </em> <em> <strong> HappyPup and WorriedPup from Revenge chat</strong> </em></p><p> </p><p><strong>AngryMom: </strong>Thank you</p><p><strong>BestVice:</strong> I don´t think Fukunaga nor Yamamoto can do it</p><p><strong>LoudBastard69: </strong>I CN DO ANYTHNG I´m<em> F A S T </em></p><p><strong>CatCaptain:</strong> No you can´t dumbass, you have one job</p><p> </p><p><em> <strong>                                                                                     CatCaptain has erased </strong></em> <em><strong>LoudBastard69 from Revenge chat</strong> </em></p><p> </p><p><strong>PleaseLearnSomeJokes: </strong>Someone really needs to look after Tora during the incident, so I don´t really think I can</p><p><strong>AngryMom:</strong> Don´t worry Fukunaga, we know is a tough work</p><p><strong>PleaseLearnSomeJokes:</strong> I´ll be leaving, then </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>                                                                                        PleaseLearnSomeJokes has left</em> <em>   Revenge chat</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p><strong>100%Done: </strong>I don´t want to do it</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <strong> <em>                                                                                            100%Done has left</em> <em> Revenge chat</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p><strong> <em>CatCaptaain: </em> </strong> <em>Well that makes three of us</em></p><p><strong> <em>AngryMom: </em> </strong> <em>Your completely useless so we´re only two</em></p><p><strong> <em>CatCaptain:</em> </strong> <em> Your hurting me</em></p><p><strong> <em>AngryMom: </em> </strong> <em>Great</em></p><p>
  <em><strong>AngryMom:</strong> I ´ll do it</em>
</p><p><strong> <em>BestVice: </em> </strong> <em>I think he may believe me more</em></p><p><strong> <em>AngryMom:</em> </strong> <em> I´m well known too and I have never asked for his help. If I appear "scared" and "frantic" he´ll take the situation more serious</em></p><p><strong> <em>CatCaptain:  </em> </strong> <em>Because you are not the tipe to fuss like that</em></p><p><strong> <em>CatCaptain: </em> </strong> <em>Well thought Yakkun, have you been eating fish lately</em></p><p><strong> <em>BestVice: </em> </strong> <em>I´ll be taking my lead, then</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>                                                                                             BestVice has left Revenge chat</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p><strong> <em>AngryMom: </em> </strong> <em>Y</em> <em>ou´re a great idiot, focuss on class you dumbass</em></p><p> </p><p><strong> <em>                                                                                           AngryMom </em> </strong> <strong> <em>has left Revenge chat</em> </strong></p><p> </p><p><strong> <em>CatCaptain: </em> </strong> <em>And</em> <em> I´m still the smartest of the two</em></p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>                                                                                          CatCaptain has left</em> <em> Revenge chat</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Once lunch arrived, every member of the Volleyball team asides from Kenma and Kuroo had taken their seat all across the cafeteria and expected their respective signal</p><p>When Hisato passed right next to Yamamoto, the wing spiker "accidentally" pushed him with the shoulder and Hisato dropped the food all over his shirt.</p><p>The cafeteria fell in silence.</p><p>"Watch where you´re going, kid" Yamamoto said, looking down on him</p><p>Hisato seemed to almost burst in anger</p><p>"Hey it was your own fault, idiot, watch your steps" he spat back</p><p>Yamamoto froze and Fukunaga´s nerves made him grab his friend´s shoulder. </p><p>"Who are you calling idiot, brat? I didn´t drop my fucking food" Yamamoto growled, annoyed</p><p>Fukunaga doubted his friend was acting, and from the corner of the eye he saw Yaku sneaking away to find the principal</p><p>"You pushed my tray, fucking retard. Buy me another lunch now" Hisato demanded, and his friends stepped by his side looking angry and about to attack</p><p>"Why should I use my money on you, huh? Think you´re so brave with your friends you can´t do anything by yourself, big baby"</p><p>Hisato went red with anger, but then he gave a twisted smile</p><p>"Your first-year friend also cried like a big baby. And his sister screamed like a little bitch" he laughed, and his friends smiled cruelly at him</p><p>Yamamoto tensed in rage and Fukuanaga´s grip hardened too much</p><p>"Say that again and I´ll break your damn nose" Yamamoto hissed, furious</p><p>Hisato smiled</p><p>"Like we broke you Russian bastard?"</p><p>Fukunaga saw Yamamoto´s intention and quickly stepped in front of him. </p><p>"How could you know that?" Fukunaga asked with a strained voice and narrowed eyes "Is not like you were there, after all. You´re too much of a <em>pussy</em>  to do that" he smirked, on purpose</p><p>Hisato grabbed Fukunaga´s shirt and pulled him closer. Yamamoto seemed about to explode, but Kai quickly appeared behind him and put a hand on his arm.</p><p>The third-year also looked angry, but he had appeared to help calm the matter and Yamamoto knew Kai was not going to let things go to waste.</p><p>"Let´s all calm down", Kai said, extending the palm in from of surrender </p><p>Hisato´s friends snarled at him</p><p>"Your kohai is being disrespectful" one snapped "And now you're not so many, so don´t try to intimidate us again"</p><p>Hisato was still grabbing Fukunaga by the shirt</p><p>"I dare you to repeat that again if you have the balls"</p><p>Fukunaga smirked, when his phone buzzed</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Yaku</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Fukunaga</strong>
</p><p>We´ll be there in fifteen secs, hurry</p><p> </p><p>"What, is it your girlfriend? Or is it you Russian friend? What, is he your boyfriend and wants to fuck you?" he joked, cruelly "He´s also a faggot, is that it? I thought Russians only  liked to fuck their families "</p><p>Fukunaga clenched fists, furious, but didn´t let himself show anything besides a smug smile</p><p>"I don´t think your small brain can understand a simple sentence, moron. Besides you´re too much of a pussy to do something by yourself, you big dumb <em>weak</em> baby" </p><p>Hisato yelled in anger and raised his fist quickly, striking Fukunaga right in the jaw.</p><p>Right in that exact moment, the principal came right through the door, followed by a panting and distressed Yaku</p><p>"HISATO!" he yelled, and the first year turned to see the principal, surprised "TO MY OFFICE, NOW! YOU AND YOUR GROUP!" </p><p>Hisato let go of Fukunaga´s shirt and growling walked towards the principal, who looked enraged. </p><p>Quickly, Yaku ran towards Fukunaga, who had fallen to the floor due to the strength of the hit</p><p>"Are you ok?" Yaku asked in concern because Fukunaga´s stare seemed a bit glazed</p><p>"I´m fine" he shrugged "But it was a strong hit. And Lev had to go through much more than that" his voice trembled at his own words</p><p>Yaku nodded sadly</p><p>"This is why we are doing this" he assured his kohai, patting his back</p><p>Yamamoto stretched a hand towards his fallen friend and Fukunaga grabbed him, standing from the floor</p><p>The principal turned to Kai, angry</p><p>"I´ll be taking this on my hands now, Kai. I´m sorry but this is inexcusable" the principal stated, before taking his leave</p><p>The cafeteria erupted in very loud whispers and all the looks were on Yaku, Kai, Fukunaga and Yamamoto</p><p>"Yamamoto, take Fukunaga to the infirmary" Kai ordered in a calm manner "We´ll take care of the rest"</p><p>Yamamoto nodded and slowly walked away, wary in case he had to support Fukunaga from falling. The students stayed away from them during their walk.</p><p>"Perfect timing" Kai praised</p><p>"It was half Fukunaga´s deed, but thanks" Yaku smiled back</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>"DUDE, THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME!" Yamamoto beamed in admiration "You managed him like a champ, dude, and he fell RIGHT INTO IT, LIKE A FLY IN HONEY"</p><p>Despite the throbbing pain at his jaw, Fukunaga smiled at his friends praise</p><p>"Wasn´t very easy. The brat has a big mouth, that´s for sure. Wait, I need to send Kuroo-san a message"</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Fukunaga</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Kuroo-san</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">Subject</span>: Mission 4</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>We did it, Hisato and the other are with the principal. Yaku´s timing was great, by the way</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> Mission 4, clear!</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>P.D: If you look for me I´ll be in the infirmary </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>"You´re very cool, Fukunaga. And I think your jokes are cool too, so you don´t need to learn new ones" Yamamoto admitted</p><p>Fukunaga´s face went red</p><p>"Thanks" he mumbled</p><p>It was probably because of the hit, but he felt his face weirdly warm</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>Kuroo grimaced at his phone´s text</p><p>"They did it" he announced "Now it´s all up to you"</p><p>"Why the face?" Kenma asked, curious</p><p>"Fukunaga´s at the infirmary"</p><p>"Hmm"</p><p>"Are you nervous?" Kuroo asked staring at Kenma´s face</p><p>"A bit" his friend admitted, shifting nervously</p><p>"Don´t mind it, Kenma. Happens what happens, we have your back" Kuroo reassured</p><p>Kenma breathed a few times and seemed to calm down a bit</p><p>"Thanks" he mumbled grateful</p><p>The bell rang marking the end of lunch, and Kuroo patted Kenma again</p><p>"Go and do your thing. We´re counting on you"</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>Why was a second-year like Kenma present in an informatics first-year class?</p><p>It was an easy answer</p><p>Murase Ayumu, to be more precise (4)</p><p>He was a first-year who got along with Kenma and had difficulties understanding the subject, so after asking for permission way too many times, the teacher had agreed for the setter to stay during that class.</p><p>Ayumu was very nice and cute, and his voice almost sounded like Shoyo so Kenma quite enjoyed the other´s company.</p><p>Another plus: Ayumu was easily distracted and Kenma knew exactly how to deal with it.</p><p>"Hey, Kenma, can you help me win this?" Ayumu asked, bored "I´m almost about to win but I can seem to get pass this level"</p><p>Kenma had been working on the computer next to Ayumu´s and was now about to reproduce the video.</p><p>Kenma sighed </p><p>"Try going another route. If you can´t do it ask Kaito-kun. He´s quite good at it"</p><p>Ayumu seemed to brighten and nodded like the sunshine he was</p><p>"I will!" he smiled, turning around to see Ishikawa Kaito (5), his best  friend, already on the next level "Hey, help me with this level!"</p><p>Kaito frowned a bit before pausing his game but smiled purely at Ayu</p><p>"Sure!"</p><p>The boy had a similar voice to Kageyama, but his personality was easier going and relaxed. Kenma got along with Kaito, too.</p><p>Frowning, Kenma managed to access the schools' main computer and from there, he got the control of the many classrooms´ computers  working at the same time (6)</p><p>A surprised and scared murmur toured the classroom and they all started looking at each others computer, unable to control them at all</p><p>"What happened?"</p><p>"Who´s doing it?"</p><p>"Is not April Fool´s yet, isn´t it?"</p><p>"No, idiot, that´s months away!"</p><p>"TO WHOEVER´S DOING THIS, STOP RIGHT NOW" the teacher ordered, unnerved</p><p>Kenma, ignoring the teachers´order, clicked the tape and on every available screen, the same video started to reproduce</p><p>Someone screeched in fear but was quickly shushed by the others, who were waiting in silence</p><p>The video, in black and white but still with perfectly audible audio, showed Hisato and his friends waiting for Lev.</p><p>And they showed him ganging upon the half-Russian</p><p>And everyone heard all the threats and words Hisato said to Lev while hitting him over and over and over again</p><p>They heard Lev screaming and crying</p><p>They saw Hisato and his gang beating the crap out of the tall boy, spitting on him and leaving hid bruised body on the floor</p><p>And they saw battered, beaten Lev crawl away from the cameras </p><p>The silence was absolute, but once the video started repeating over again, the teacher seemed to react</p><p>"Someone--" she started, but coughed in nervousness "Someone, please record the tape", she asked, forgetting for the moment everything she knew about computers</p><p>The video wasn´t very easy to watch for Kenma, but after many hours of editing, it was a bit less difficult.</p><p>"I already did" Kenma announced, grabbing the whole classes attention</p><p>"I´ll call the principal, you wait here and don´t do anything", the teacher said, quickly leaving the class</p><p>Then the murmurs erupted again, and Kenma sighed in relief</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Kenma</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Kuroo</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">Subject</span>: Mission 5</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Everyone saw it and our teacher is going for the principal. </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>Do what you have to</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong> Mission 5, clear</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Kuroo smiled at the message on his phone and was quick to walk towards Hisato, who had left the principal´s office last.</p><p>"Hisato-kun" he called, humming</p><p>"What do you want?" he snarled </p><p>"That´s not the way of speaking to your senpai, Hisato-kun" Kuroo teased </p><p>"I could have some lesson with Kozume-senpai, maybe" Hisato joked with a twisted smile "I heard he´s not very social, but I can manage to make him cooperate"</p><p>Kuroo tensed in anger and clenched his fists to not hit the bastard in front of him. A wrong move and all their effort would go to waste.</p><p>"If you want a proper lesson I can teach you if you want" Kuroo offered in a serious voice "But I came here because I want to settle things"</p><p>"Settle?" </p><p>"Come to the volleyball gym at 6 on Friday" Kuroo ordered, staring at Hisato "Don´t be late", he emphasised</p><p>Before the other could answer Kuroo turned back and walked away with the majesty of a panter.</p><p>Hisato gulped in fear and ran to his class.</p><p>When he arrived every single eye fell upon him, and the looks were judgemental, hateful and full of disgust.</p><p>Startled, he walked to his seat and was able to hear the whispers surrounding him</p><p> </p><p>"Delinquent"</p><p> </p><p>"Liar"</p><p> </p><p>"Coward"</p><p> </p><p>Kenma smiled and after waving at Ayu and Kaito, who were also intensely staring at the newcomer, he left the class and went to his own.</p><p>The next day everyone in the school found out the truth and the whispers and rumours spread like wildfire. The teachers were also very upset and they demanded a meeting with the principal.</p><p>As a unanimous decision, it was decided for Hisato and his group to be expelled from the Nekoma Tokyo High School, and their belongings to be removed no later than Friday</p><p>When Yaku found out he told Kuroo in a relief manner, and his smile shined brighter than it had in a long time.</p><p>Kuroo smiled too</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">From</span>: Kuroo</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">To</span>: Yaku, Kai, Fukunaga, Yamamoto, Kenma, Shibayama and Inuoka</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong><span class="u">Subject</span>: Payback</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>MISSION COMPLETE!</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Almost...</p><p>***</p><p>Kuroo had somehow managed to convince Nekomata to cancel Friday practice, under the excuse of "needing rest once in a while"</p><p>Of course, Nekomata hadn´t believed him but cancelled, either way, to go share some drinks with Coach Naoi.</p><p>He secretly told Kuroo how bad Naoi was holding his drink and how fun it was.</p><p>So after dismissing the rest of his teammates, Kuroo waited for a certain <em>someone</em> to come. </p><p>Hisato was meant to appear at 6, so Kuroo still had two hours left.</p><p>At five-thirty, a sudden loud group started to grow closer.</p><p>But it wasn´t only two people, it was five. He saw a tall blond boy, a shorty orange-haired and a bulky black hair. The three of them with the crow´s jacket.</p><p>As soon as he saw Kuroo, Bokuto flew towards his friend</p><p>"KUROOOO!" he hooted happily, "I TOLD AKAASHI AS YOU TOLD ME, BUT I ACCIDENTALLY TOLD HINATA AND HINATA TOLD TSUKKI AND HINATA TOLD <em>ALL</em> OF KARASUNO AND INSISTED ON COMING BUT SAWAMURA DIDN´T WANTED TO LEAVE THEM BUT ALSO WANTED TO HELP SO HE LEFT SUGA IN CHARGE OF THE OTHER CROWS AND  TSUKKI ALSO CAME! ISN´T IT GREAT?!</p><p>Kuroo blinked a few moments trying to process what he had just heard but was now probably deaf due to all the screaming</p><p>"In summary, Bokuto-san slipped and dragged Hinata, Tsukishima and Sawamura into this mess. Good to see you, Kuroo-san" Akashi greeted in his usual deadpan manner</p><p>"Akaaaashi, that´s mean!"</p><p>"Yo, Kuroo" Daichi waved his hand "It´s been a while"</p><p>"Sawamura" Kuroo said "Nice to see you here"</p><p>"Hi, Kuroo-san!" Hinata chirped, jumping up and down </p><p>"Chibi-chan, good to see you too. Why are you here?"</p><p>"Bokuto-san told me and I wanted to come here, but Daichi-san didn´t want us to come alone so decided to come with us" he quickly said</p><p>"Us?" Kuroo inquired</p><p>"I never <em>said</em>  I wanted to come, you just assumed" Tsukishima complained, annoyed</p><p>"Hey, hey, hey Tsukki, don´t look so down! The Third Gym Squad is together again, we should celebrate!" Bokuto hollered, passing a buff arm around Tsukishima´s shoulder</p><p>Tsukishima sighed, tired, and squeezed his way from Bokuto´s buff embrace</p><p>"Why did I agree?" he cursed, in defeat</p><p>"Because you care about your friend and wanted to do something about it" Daichi smiled at him</p><p>Kuroo smirked mischievously at Tsukishima, who now looked both confused and disgusted</p><p>"Tch. Whatever" he said and walked away to sit in the gym´s bench</p><p>"Sawamura, please explain", Kuroo asked</p><p>Daichi suddenly seemed more tired.</p><p>"Hinata told us what happened last week but yesterday he told me he was coming to Tokyo to the "Third Gym Squad Meeting", and somehow convinced Tsukishima of doing it. But Suga didn´t want them to come alone and after asking Coach Ukai for permission we made our way here and left the other kids with Suga"</p><p>"Don´t mind" Kuroo patted in sympathy, amused by Daichi´s fatherly behaviour</p><p>"I don´t mind, Kuroo-san!" Hinata announced loudly "I get to meet Bokuto-san, and that´s more than great!"</p><p><em>&lt;&lt;Uh oh. He´s going to get his head even more full&gt;&gt;</em> Akaashi thought, tired, and quietly walked away towards the only other san person A.K.A Tsukishima</p><p>"¡HINATA, MY LIL´DISCIPLE, LET ME TEACH YOU SOME GREAT SPIKES!" Bokuto yelled, echited</p><p>And obviously, Hinata also screamed in excitement.</p><p>"¿REALLY? ¡BOKUTO-SAN, YOU´RE THE BEST MENTOR EVER!" </p><p>Bokuto blushed due to the compliment</p><p>"¿Right, right?"</p><p><em>&lt;&lt;Chibi-chan, you sure now hoe to flatter the emptyhead&gt;&gt;</em> Kuroo thought</p><p>"By the way" Daichi suddenly said, reaching for his backpack "I bought meat buns for the trip, but Hinata was too excited to eat and Tsukishima was sleeping most of the time. Want some?" he offered</p><p>Smiling, Kuroo grabbed one from the bag and happily munched, realizing then how hungry he was,</p><p>"Thanks"</p><p>"Is no problem. HINATA, BREAK A WINDOW IN ANOTHER SCHOOL AND YOU´LL HAVE TO DEAL WITH ME. THE SAME  FOR YOU, BOKUTO, THIS IS ANOTHER SCHOOL!" Daichi scolded</p><p>Hinata didn´t jumped, but pouted a bit instead</p><p>"But I´m bored, Daichi-san"</p><p>"Yeah, I´m bored too, Sawamura!" Bokuto also pouted</p><p>Daichi sighed, and Kuroo patted him sympathetically</p><p>"Listen, if you come here and behave I´ll give you these meat buns and we´ll go eat some more after this whole ordeal is over" he promised</p><p>The other two´s eyes sparkled and appeared in front of Daichi in a blink</p><p>"-aichi-sam, yer da ´est cap'n ev´r!" Hinata said, stuffing his face</p><p>"eah, Saba´ra, ya´r great!"</p><p>Daichi looked at them in concern</p><p>&lt;&lt;He acts as their father&gt;&gt; Akaashi and Kuroo thought at the same time</p><p>After eating and sitting on the bench, both Hinata and Bokuto were happily chatting and catching up.</p><p>Right at six, the whole group turned their heads to see a lonely figure approaching the gym. </p><p>After warning Tsukishima, Akaashi stood up and walked next to Kuroo, who was very tense. Daichi was also there too and Bokuto stood up. </p><p>Hinata didn´t</p><p>"What´s wrong, Hinata?" Bokuto asked, worried</p><p>The shorter didn´t answer, but Bokuto saw him shaking</p><p>"You´re scared of him?" the older asked</p><p>Hinata nodded "He beat Lev, and Lev´s tall and a bit intimidating and I´m short and small and--</p><p>"Well, don´t!" Bokuto happily advised "He won´t beat you because you´re not alone. Crows fly in flocks, remember? And even if owls are normally lonely animals, we are not! So even if not all the crows are here, there´re two owls and a cat watching your back. Besides", Bokuto´s eyes shined dangerously, "Crow´s flocks are also called a murder"</p><p>Hinata shivered under Bokuto´s gaze, but he knew everything was going to be fine</p><p>"Thanks, Bokuto-san!" Hinata thanked, before standing up and walking next to Kuroo. He was sure the face Tanaka had taught him was looking great</p><p>The other figure had gotten closer and was now a meter away from Kuroo</p><p>"So, what do you want?" Hisato spitted</p><p>"To give you a warning, brat" Kuroo replied, serious "You did what you did to Lev after he stopped you. And you have been expelled from this school, haven´t you?"</p><p>"It was Kozume-senpai´s fault, I saw him sneaking away from our class" the other answered back, "I told you I could go talk to him" he smiled</p><p>Kuroo tensed</p><p>"Stay away from Kenma" a voice said "Don´t you dare put your filthy hands on him"</p><p>Hisato blinked a bit and stared down, to where the voice coming from.</p><p>Hinata´s gaze was staring right through him, with such power behind those eyes it was impossible no to shrink under the shrimp. It felt like being stared by a murder of crows, staring at his soul and waiting to feast on his meat. </p><p>Daichi smirked proudly and Kuroo sighed in happiness, knowing Kenma had amazing friends</p><p>Hisato coughed and tried to gain his composure back</p><p>"What can a shrimpy like you do, huh? I could beat you to a bloody pulp" he threatened, raising his hand to grab Hinata´s shirt.</p><p>"I wouldn´t do that if I were you", a cold voice said. </p><p>Tsukishima stepped to the front, towering over Hisato the same exact, terrifying way Lev had done it all those weeks ago.</p><p>"This shrimpy may seem harmless, but it can fly very high", Tsukishima said, staring down at him "And I recommend you not to anger our captain. He may seem nice, but he can be more horrifying than any of us here"</p><p>The glasses only made Tsukishima´s look colder.</p><p>But being looked down wasn´t something Hisato liked.</p><p>He grabbed both boys by the shirt, trying to push them over</p><p>"If you think I´m afraid of a stupid cro--"</p><p>A big, strong hand grabbed his wrist, squeezing it until he let go of the boy´s shirts.</p><p>"Do you really think I´d let you touch my teammates?" Daichi asked, in a low whisper "You may want to reconsider your next actions, kid. I´m not one to use violence but I will not tolerate your actions, even less in front of me"</p><p>Hisato shivered and sank under Daichi´s threat. If anything, his legs felt heavier than before.</p><p>Akaashi closed the distance between him and the <em>very</em> scared Hisato.</p><p>"Right now, there´s no option of winning. The smartest choice you can make is to flee with your pride in pieces and the tail between your legs"</p><p>The rain has started to fall, and the sky was now dark and clouded.</p><p>For one last time, Hisato swallowed his fear and turned to Akaashi, who was simply standing there.</p><p>And for the third time, he made another huge mistake and pushed Akaashi back</p><p>"Fuck you man, I--"</p><p>Hisato then felt himself being lifted from the floor.</p><p>Bokuto had appeared in a flash and with minimal effort, had lifted him from the ground to a considerable height.</p><p>"That was a third warning, <em>brat</em>" Bokuto spat, angry "You keep thinking you´re so strong and mighty when in reality, alone, your nothing but a big coward who threatens those smaller and in disadvantage. But guess what, dumbass? The cat you stepped on was <em>not</em> by his own"</p><p>Hisato squeaked in fear, his limbs like butter and stomach like a freezing rock</p><p>"The thing is, Lev was <strong>never</strong> alone. Even when you beat him to a pulp and sent him to the hospital, even when you insulted him over and over again, even when you spread those twisted whispers, Lev always had his team´s support" Akaashi scolded ina frozen voice</p><p>"Unlike you, who fly by yourself", Hinata said, staring right into Hisato´s very soul.</p><p>"But apparently you took volleyball away from another volleyball idiot. Have you ever tried walking with a broken leg? That may help you to understand your situation" Tsukishima suggested, signalling his leg. </p><p>Hisato whimpered, terrified from the guys in front of him.</p><p>Daichi stood closer "Your friends are not here with you. They can´t help you, and they can´t beat us all. Cats may be ferocious in a group, but when crows flock they can even take down a big, white eagle"</p><p>Kuroo snarled at him "So hear our last warning, Hisato-kun. If I ever see you close to us or I hear a single whisper of your intention to return, I´ll call everyone, and owls, crows and cats will be chasing your tail. So you may try to step on another cat´s tail, but if you do, then the cat will bite"</p><p>Bokuto let go of his shirt, and the now small figure fell on his but, wetting his pants with what was probably rainwater.</p><p>A thunder resonated and the light came quickly, revealing not humans but terrifying monsters, towering over him like a beast of a fairy tail</p><p>"Run" the whisper in unison, but it might have well been a massive roar.</p><p>The effect was quick, and never had he been so terrified in his life, Hisato sprinted his way out as fast as possible.</p><p>Volleyball players were crazy, that´s for sure.</p><p>Silence fell in the camp again, until Hisato´s shape got lost and disappeared. </p><p>"Well, now that we finish, who wants to go for some ramen?" Daichi offered with a smile</p><p>Akaashi sighed, tired</p><p>"Well, if we are already wet we may as well go eat something warm" he answered, ruffling his own hair</p><p>"The same" Tskushima agreed</p><p>"FREE RAMEN!" Hinata cheered, walking next to Bokuto, who was already ahead of time</p><p>"LET´S MAKE AN "ALL YOU CAN EAT" CONTEST!" the owl captain hollered</p><p>Daichi, amused, walked beside them when he noticed Kuroo wasn´t moving.</p><p>"Kuroo?" he called</p><p>The cat captain turned and stared at him with warmness filling his feline eyes.</p><p>"Thanks for coming. You have no idea how much this means to us" he sincerely said, smiling softly</p><p>Daichi felt his chest warm</p><p>"We share the trash heap, don´t we? We crows can also defend our territory. And now let´s go, I´ll treat you ramen to"<br/><br/></p><p>Kuroo giggled and sprinted a bit to walk besides Daichi</p><p>It was a wet evening, and Hinata´s and Bokuto´s voices filled the air, but for both captains, they wouldn´t rather be anywhere else.</p><p> </p><p>***</p><p>On Monday, when Lev returned classes, a line of students formed in front oh his seat and a few of his female classmates helped him with his bags when they saw him still using crutches to walk.</p><p>"We want to apologize properly",  one of them said, and all the other nodded in agreement.</p><p>Lev smiled happily and from that they on, the whispers were, once again, amazed by his height and heritage and his beautiful sister and his skills.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Six weeks later</em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Returning to volleyball practice, after so long without being able to move, was proving to be more difficult than expected. He had seemed to lost a bit of stamina and his reflexes were slowed down, so receiving was worse than normal.</p><p>Still, he enjoyed the feeling of tiredness so much he asked Yaku-san to help him with receives.</p><p>Yaku almost cried in happiness and spent the next two hours gently guiding Lev to do a proper receive. </p><p>Lev felt his chest could bloom in happiness.</p><p>And after showering and grabbing his bag to leave, Yaku stopped him in the entry of the gym. Weirdly enough, the gym seemed empty and only Yaku seemed to be around.</p><p>It was a bit disconcerting. </p><p>"Come with me" Yaku ordered without giving further explanation</p><p>Lev, intrigued, followed Yaku towards the club room.</p><p>"Yaku-san, wha-"</p><p>"Open the door"</p><p>Lev, still very intrigued, carefully opened the door and saw it all very dark.</p><p>He blinked a few times and when he raised his hand to turn off the lights, he definitely wasn´t expecting what came next.</p><p>"SURPRISE!" many voices yelled at the same time, throwing small pellets and serpentine everywhere.</p><p>Kuroo was standing in the middle next to Alisa, who had Siniy in her arms. By their sides, Fukunaga stood next to Yamamoto and Shibayama next to Inuoka. Kai stood in the far left and Kenma was situated on the far right. Both coaches were sitting on the table, and they had a can of beer in their hands. Even Akane, wearing her usual smile, was standing in front of her brother.</p><p>The club room had been decorated from the floor the ceiling in Russian and Japanese flags, a few volleyball banners and a picture of Russian Blue in the ceiling. Serpentine was flying everywhere, the arranged table was filled with food and everyone, including both coaches, were wearing fake cat ears. </p><p>But what called Lev´s eyes was the huge banner hanging in the middle, a white banner with huge red letters that said <em>"WELCOME HOME, ACE"</em></p><p>Kuroo stepped to the front and everyone went quiet for a bit.</p><p>"We knew how bad you wanted to return, so we wanted to make something special. Then Yakkun remembered how you once told him you loved surprised parties but never got one, and he coordinated with all of us to make this little surprise. Alisa-san and Akane-chan helped a lot, too"</p><p>Yaku flushed a bit, ane evaded Lev´s eyes.</p><p>But Lev wasn´t smiling nor grinning like his usual self.</p><p>His eyes seem teary, and a sudden sniff caught everyone´s attention.</p><p>&lt;&lt;This wasn´t supposed to go like this, wasn´t it?&gt;&gt; they thought in unison</p><p>Akane worried and tried to speak to him"He-hey, Lev-kun, don't-"</p><p>"Before--" Lev started, and the team stared at him in expectance "Before it happened, the whispers were sometimes too much to handle. I knew they were dumb and I knew I could count on you guys a lot, but sometimes I just couldn´t help but believe what I heard. It was really difficult, and it got worse after the beat up because I had to stay alone at the hospital. It was when I was alone that my mind started to wander and sometimes I asked myself if I was of any worth for the team. I hated being alone, yes, but Alisa had to work and I didn´t want to bother you guys, because I´m an ace and strong aces make girls go "kyahhh" and all that-" and they smiled because a sad Lev was still Lev, after all, "so I wasn´t complaining. Still, every single one of those weeks you all visited me as often as possible, and I can´t be more grateful to you all for that", Lev sniffed, "So thank you, everyone, for not leaving me alone!" he finished, with grateful tears rolling down his cheeks.</p><p>Yaku slapped his back hard</p><p>"Of course we´re not leaving you, dumbass. You´re going to become an ace, aren´t you? And as your team, we´ll always have your back. So stop crying, you big baby" Yaku told him</p><p>Lev sniffled and stared at Yaku.</p><p>"YAGU-SHAAAAN!" he cried before avalanching over the young libero and squeezing him with his body.</p><p>"Group hug!" Inuoka barfed happily, grabbing poor Shibayama and dragging him towards the crying Lev</p><p>"I´m glad you liked it, Haiba-kun!" Shibayama wheezed, squished by big Inuoka</p><p>"WELCOME HOME, ACE BASTARD" Yamamoto smiled, hugging them tightly</p><p>A dragged Fukunaga had to lift his head in order to breath.</p><p>"You probably shouldn´t drag, but dag, you amaze and stonish" Fukunaga smiled, and Lev laughed at his dumb joke (6)</p><p>Kai calmly walked towards them and patted him on the head</p><p>"Is good to see you so happy, Lev" he wholeheartedly said</p><p>Kuroo got close to and squeezed everyone between his arms. </p><p>"Is not the same without your stupid head around, so I´m glad to have you back. The Third Gym Squad is already coming, so try to stay a bit longer"</p><p>Lev blinked surprised by Kuroo using that cool name but beamed and nodded energetically</p><p>"We can stay as long as you want, Lyovochka, this is all for you", Alisa said, signalling the decorated room. Siniy meowed in agreement and Lev laughed at the cat´s weird meow.</p><p>"It took a few hours to set everything, so I really hope you like it" Akane smiled, standing in front of the hugging bunch</p><p>"Enjoy it while you can, Lev" Coach Naoi smiled</p><p>"Yeah, enjoy it you too because I brought a lot of beer for tonight and we're drinking it all!" Nekomata laughed, amused by Naoi's expression</p><p>The only not being smashed was Kenma, who simply stood behind the young Russian and tapped his shoulder gently. </p><p>"Is good to have you back, Lev. It really is", Kenma smiled sincerely</p><p>Yaku stared at Lev´s expression, and his heart skipped a bit when Lev finally smiled back, wider than it had been in a while and brighter than the sun itself. For Yaku, it was a beautiful smile.</p><p>For Lev, it was the best day of his life and his chest felt full at knowing he wasn´t going to be alone. Yaku-san and the team´s presence made Lev feel alive, and for the first in what felt like forever, Lev laughed as loud as he liked'</p><p>Indeed, Lev knew how cool his team was.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><hr/><p><span class="u">EXPLANATION</span>:</p><p>(1): If you understood it I love you, if you didn´t I´ll explain: It´s a reference to Kuroo´s line when he's teaching Tsukki the kill block, during Haikyuu´s Stage Play: Summer of Evolution, or Shinka no Natsu. It covers the whole Tokyo Training Camp arc and the actors are great!</p><p>(2): Final Haikyuu! Quest started as an additional poster made by Furudate-sensei, but then an actual 3DS game was made out of it. And of course, Kenma would love to play it!</p><p>(3): Kartoshka, or картошка , it´s a traditional Russian dish made from cookies and condensed milk. I haven´t tried it but it seems delicious</p><p>(4): Murase Ayumu is the name of Hinata´s VA. He´s a cute sweetheart and I love him a lot!</p><p>(5): Ishikawa Kaito is also the name of Kageyama´s VA. He seems friendly and is best friends with Ayu, so I depicted them as such</p><p>(6): If you understood it, you´re almost to marry me, if you don´t I´ll tell you. It´s on the first lines from My Shot, from the Hamilton Musical. Fukunaga really has good taste in music, let me tell ya´.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Finally, it´s done!<br/>It took me way longer than expected, and it lasted longer than expected. It was originally going to be a one-shot<br/>This story is a bit personal because I was bullied two during primary school.<br/>Not very funny, to be honest.<br/>And the team is very supportive and it´s there, which is something I would've liked to have.<br/>If you like it leave kudos and comment, that´d help a lot<br/>Hope you liked my first fic, I´ll probably be publishing another one soon but I promise nothing<br/>If you have any ideas feel free to tell me, it´d be awesome<br/>Take care and stay safe &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first posted fanfiction ever, so I apologize in advance for any issue you may find while reading this. Also, English is not my first language so I apologize for that to.</p><p>Please enjoy and review!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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